DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – More than 800 people received free groceries in Daytona Beach during a food distribution clinic at Bethune-Cookman University.

With the rising prices of groceries expected to worsen food insecurity across Central Florida, Second Harvest Food Bank says at least one in seven people are at risk of facing hunger.

What You Need To Know

  •  Over 800 people received groceries at no cost in Daytona Beach

  • The price of groceries recently hit a 40-year high

  • At their mobile drops sites, Second Harvest normally serves around 300 to 500 families

“Daytona in particular, we’re hearing, has a lot of people really reaching out and trying to find food right now,” explained Jackie Nitti, the Major Gifts Officer at Second Harvest Bank of Central Florida.

Tom Garvey is one of the people who benefit from distributions like the one on Wednesday. It’s a line he has no problem waiting in.

“It means having food,” said Garvey.

The long time Volusia County resident moved to Edgewater in 1983 and then to Daytona Beach in 2009.

At the end of his wait today, he’ll no longer have to worry about how he’s going to afford groceries, at least for the next few days.

“I’m just glad I can come here. Things have just gotten so bad.”

The price of groceries recently hit a 40-year high that's up over 8% since March 2021. The price of meat is up by nearly 16%.

“The meat and the vegetables are the big things,” shared Garvey as he went through the distribution line.

At their mobile drops, Second Harvest normally serves around 300 to 500 families.

That number has increased as of late and it’s why they partnered with the Mind of Christ Ministries to open the location on Wednesday.

“It's become a hot spot because of inflation, gas prices, and everything else going on,” said Nitti.

For Garvey and thousands of others like him, the distribution site is the reassurance of knowing where their next meal will come from.

‘It’s worth waiting two to three hours. It really helps,” Garvey explained.

Second Harvest Food Bank says 95 million meals a year are needed to fill the hunger gap across Central Florida.