Food insecurity has been a problem in South Florida for many years, even before the pandemic. Covid-19 made the problem even worse. The food bank Feeding South Florida estimates there are more than 705,000 people experiencing food insecurity in our region. That would look like filling up Hard Rock Stadium ten times over.
This mini-documentary dives into how food insecurity has affected the Miami area. It describes how the Florida International University Food Pantry benefits students and how the organization started. At FIU, many students rely on meal plans and local fast foods or go without eating because they don’t have enough funds for a proper nutritious meal.
Outside our campus, we met with the organizers of Hope for the Homeless, a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2010, bringing clothes, food, and basic necessities to the homeless in Downtown Miami.