By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic
MIAMI | As Florida moves beyond initial shock over the COVID-19 pandemic and toward economic recession, residents and families in South Florida remain focused on acquiring daily living supplies.
In response, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami has been bolstering its meals and foodstuffs distribution around the region through parish and community partnerships.
“We are hearing more and more about the need for food distribution and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami — classified as an ESF-6 essential provider with the state of Florida’s Emergency Management Office — is doing just that,” said CEO Peter Routsis-Arroyo.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami posted this collage of photos on its Facebook and Instagram pages, showing some of their food delivery programs during the pandemic. Aside from delivering daily meals to elderly clients of its congregate meals sites and child care centers, the agency is providing additional meals weekly at distribution sites in Wynwood, South Dade and Little Haiti.
The home meal delivery program to the elderly has grown from 700 households to close to 1,000 since the pandemic crisis began.
“We are home-delivering meals on a daily basis to the elderly and now during the pandemic we are registering more people, 60 years of age and over, and delivering meals,” Routsis-Arroyo said. He stressed that these additional deliveries might not continue following this emergency period.
Here is a list of Charities points of food and meals distribution:
- Centro Hispano Child Development Services: Catholic Charities in Wynwood is distributing Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) to the greater community every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon.
- Notre Dame Child Development Services: Catholic Charities in Little Haiti is distributing MREs to the greater community every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon.
- South Dade Child Development Services: Catholic Charities in Homestead is distributing MREs to the greater community every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon.
- Catholic Charities has provided $10,000 in funding as well as food items to Notre Dame d'Haiti Mission, where volunteers are cooking and delivering culturally appropriate meals to their Little Haiti neighbors on Saturdays. Catholic Charities will be delivering four pallets of fresh vegetables to the church this Friday (April 24). The produce was obtained from Farm Share through Catholic Charities USA. (Click here for story and photos.)
- Catholic Charities has been continuing to ship shelf-stable meals and MREs to the SOS Foundation food bank in Key West, who then distribute to those in need throughout Monroe County. (Click here for story and photos.)
- Blessed Sacrament Parish in Fort Lauderdale is distributing food on Fridays, including shelf-stable meals provided by Catholic Charities.
- Three Virtues Organization has partnered with Catholic Charities to distribute food daily to Homestead residents.
- Catholic Charities is partnering with the Florida-based Cross Catholic Outreach for warehouse space in Miami-Dade County.
- Catholic Charities is supporting various community-based food pantries with food distribution whenever possible, including, this week, 53 pallets of baby food and an expected large shipment of diapers.
- Catholic Charities is awaiting a major shipment of supplies from the Knights of Columbus, who also have donated $50,000 to help with local efforts.
TO SEEK HELP
Miami-Dade County residents over the age of 60 can be added to Catholic Charities’ list of home meal delivery by calling 305-751-5203. Persons under the age of 60 can call a Dade County helpline at 311.
