Drive-thru food pantries in Pinellas County helping struggling families over summer

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The number of families struggling to put food on the table keeps growing.

The Juvenile Welfare Board says one in eight children in Pinellas County is food insecure.

"But summer is even worse, because school is not in session all summer, kids are at home more, and they don’t have school food to rely on all the way through the summer," Juvenile Welfare Board CEO Houghton said.

Houghton says the two big gaps in resources in the summer are between the end of the school year and start of summer school, and at the end of the summer before the school year starts back up.

The JWB and St. Pete Free Clinic are partnering to hold six drive-thru mobile food pantries over the summer to serve a total of 2,000 families in Pinellas County.

"Every single car that’s going through this line has a story," Houghton said.

READ: Tenants complain of wrongful evictions and harassment at low-income housing complex in St. Pete

Houghton says cars lined up at the drive-thru food pantry on Saturday in Clearwater to receive bags of fresh groceries.

"It takes a village to raise five kids," one father of five said.

Houghton says food insecurity has continued to grow post-pandemic.

"Pushing 50% of our families in our county are either at or below the poverty level, or most of those, about 35%, give or take, are at or below just a living wage," she said.

Families at the drive-thru food pantry say they feel the economic burden every day.

"I feel it every day, trying to make sure they’re fed, make sure they have a roof over their head and everything," one father said.

At the drive-thru food pantry, families received fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meats and other groceries. Event organizers also provided families with resources to other food pantries throughout Pinellas County.

READ: Sarasota couple recounts their 60-year love story after blind date goes wrong

"It means a lot, because a lot of us, it’s hard because I work, but still can’t afford a lot of stuff, so with a little bit of extra help would help the community a lot," one father said.

Organizers say rising rent costs, prices at the grocery store and everyday bills often force families to choose between paying one of those bills or putting food on the table.

On Saturday, they say around 400 families left with groceries and resources.

"It is always very, incredibly touching," Houghton said. "There are tears, there are ‘Bless you’. There’s always incredible gratitude. Often, often we hear, ‘I don’t know what I would’ve done without this.’"

The Juvenile Welfare Board and St. Pete Free clinic are holding several other drive-thru food pantries this summer.

To find more information on these events, click here.

SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter