Response to drive-thru food banks in Flagler ‘tremendous’ amid coronavirus pandemic, organizers say

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Dozens of volunteers spent Tuesday morning separating groceries and paper goods before they distributed the items to a long line of cars that wrapped around Flagler Palm Coast High School amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The school was one of two drive-thru food banks in the area that opened for a couple of hours to serve families impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The other location was on the west side of the county.

Judy Mazzella, the volunteer coordinator for Flagler County Services, said the response has been tremendous.

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“It’s super important to be able to fill the gap and fill the need of people in our county. There’s a lot of families that are living paycheck to paycheck and now, if they’ve been laid off or furloughed, they don’t have that paycheck coming in,” Mazzella said.

Flagler County Services teamed up with Feeding Northeast Florida and Flagler County Emergency Management to distribute food to residents who were asked to answer a few questions before volunteers loaded up their cars.

Sam Murphy was one of many to receive the much-needed groceries.

“It means so much to me because I lost 15 hours a week where I work, so it’s a big help for me and my daughter," she said. “Super appreciative of everything everybody is doing for us.”

Organizers said in a news release that upwards of 80% of the items distributed were fresh fruits and vegetables because of the extra supply Florida farmers have due to coronavirus-related closures decreasing the demand for produce.

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“More fresh produce is currently available because restaurants are not operating as they typically do,” Emergency Management Planner Nealon Joseph said.

Mazzella said 400 Flagler County residents picked up groceries at the locations Tuesday and she hopes that the food bank is just the beginning of her team doing its part.

"We just need to continue to do our work and to be able to serve as many people as we can," she said.

Anyone interested in donating food or medical supplies can contact 386-597-2950.

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