Our Daily Bread Food Pantry Gets $30,000 Lifeline Amidst Soaring Local Costs

A vital injection of funds is set to bolster the front lines of the fight against hunger on Marco Island and throughout Collier County.

 

Our Daily Bread Food Pantry (ODBFP), founded in 2016, has received a significant $30,000 grant, a critical lifeline for local families struggling to keep food on the table.  The grant comes from the Food Insecurity Fund of the Collier Community Foundation (CCF), an organization deeply invested in addressing the community's most pressing needs.

 

This support is part of a larger $70,000 investment by the foundation this year to provide not just food, but also encouragement and hope to neighbors in crisis.

 

For many residents, the paradise of Southwest Florida masks a harsh reality.  The cost of living in Marco Island's surrounding area has become staggering, with housing expenses dramatically outpacing wages for the essential workers who power our local economy.

 

This economic pressure forces ongoing, hard choices between paying rent, covering bills, or buying groceries.

 

Evelyn Rossetti-Ryan, the Executive Director of ODBFP, expressed profound gratitude for the foundation's commitment to the mission.  She highlighted the escalating food prices that compound the financial strain on the very workforce that keeps our community running.

 

This year, the volunteer-driven pantry aims to provide an estimated 1.67 million meals.  That ambitious goal will be met by distributing over 2 million pounds of nutritious food, all carefully proportioned to meet USDA dietary guidelines.  The impact of this work reaches children, seniors, and families who might otherwise not know where their next meal is coming from.

 

It's a testament to the organization's efficiency that 97 cents of every dollar raised is used directly for programs that feed the hungry.  Find out how to DONATE.

 

The Collier Community Foundation has been a cornerstone of support, not just for ODBFP but for numerous nonprofits tackling issues from housing to education.  This latest grant underscores a dedicated strategy to combat growing food insecurity in Collier County, a problem closely linked to the region's affordable housing crisis.

 

The work of Our Daily Bread Food Pantry is a beacon of hope, showing what a community can achieve when it comes together to support its own.  The volunteers who are a part of this vital organization deserve to be recognized for all of the wonderful things they do to help this entire community.  There are so many ways YOU can help with their projects.  You can even supply a WHOLE PALLET of food to your community.  What a fantastic way to start off the New Year!