Bay area food pantry sees record number of families needing food during coronavirus pandemic

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Parents who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic are having a hard time making ends meet and a Bay area food pantry is coming to the rescue to feed these families. 

"We have never seen crowds like this before," said St. Petersburg Free Clinic Director of Food Programs Shaina Bent. 

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A record crowd of visitors has been picking up food at the St Petersburg Free Clinic. 

"Usually donations are enough for us to distribute," Bent explained. "But with the increase in demand, we have seen a 72% increase in the number of people we are serving." 

The free clinic has been distributing meals to about 700 families for the past month. "In the first two weeks of April we saw 1000 that has never before utilized our services," Bent said. 

For Lisa Ludwig, the service has been a great benefit. "I was a nanny, so I no longer have a job right now,” Ludwig explained. “This is very helpful." 

"Our foodbank gets close to one million pounds of food each month," Bent said. 

The program hands out meats, eggs, produce and some non-perishable goods. 

For more information visit https://stpetersburgfreeclinic.org/ 

If you feel sick:

The Florida Department of Health has opened a COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Agents will answer questions around the clock. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours.

LINK: Florida's COVID-19 website

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