Hunger

Despite record high stock markets, the Harry Chapin Food Bank of SWFL and its partners are busier than ever because of factors like high food, housing, and health insurance costs — along with cuts to federal programs that help people in need including $186 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the so-called Big Beautiful Bill. The Harry Chapin Food Bank distributed 38.7 million pounds of food last year. And to keep up with the growing need, they have begun construction of a new 110-thousand-square-foot distribution center and warehouse being built in Fort Myers that will be their new Hunger Action Center. We sit down with the food bank's president and CEO to get a sense of what they’re experiencing right now, and what the new facility will mean for their operations. We also meet the director of one of their partner agencies.

From creamy to crunchy, thousands of jars of peanut butter are making their way into Florida homes, thanks to the generosity of residents statewide, who rallied behind this year’s Peanut Butter Challenge – feeding families one jar at a time. All those jars add up to 44,564 pounds of peanut butter, and every ounce counts, said Kevin Camm, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension Orange County.

Many Indigenous families rely on SNAP benefits, and they struggled during the government shutdown. We hear from tribal members on how they tried to fill the gaps, and why they still worry.

GL Homes conducted building of an unusual kind Monday — and ended up helping relieve hunger.The mission was for two teams combined from GL Homes communities in Lee and Collier counties to go can-to-can in the annual GL Homes CAN-tastic Competition.

A new online platform launched by the Harry Chapin Food Bank helps area residents locate food pantries, distribution sites

An annual collection of packaged food items carried out this weekend by the men and women who normally just deliver the mail, may be the only way to help plug holes developing in the social assistance safety net.Saturday was the national Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and letter carriers across the U.S. were gathered non-perishables to be distributed to those in need.

The National Association of Letter Carriers conducting nation's largestsingle-day food drive this Saturday.

Eleven tons of peanut butter and jelly. That's how much of the lunchtime staple Community Cooperative brought in during its annual Southwest Florida PB&J Drive.Each year, the PB&J Drive invites local businesses, churches, schools, and communities to compete for the coveted title of “Most Love Collected,” all in support of fighting summer hunger for local children and families. This year’s drive saw dozens of dedicated groups participating and spreading awareness, compassion, and kindness — one jar at a time.

One in 12 seniors in Southwest Florida experiences food insecurity. That number is a result of many factors that include inflation, expensive housing in the region, and aging-related medical expenses. Harry Chapin Food Bank’s Care and Share senior feeding program seeks to alleviate these economic pressures by giving seniors monthly free meal kits.

The need for food assistance remained vital for many in Southwest Florida in 2024 as evidenced by a more than 10 percent increase in food distribution — more than 4 million pounds — reported by the Harry Chapin Food Bank.Additionally, Chapin reported large upticks in several children-focused food distribution programs.Chapin's distribution of 39.5 million pounds of food through its Feeding Network in 2024 equates to an additional 3 million meals served to neighbors across Southwest Florida.