Food pantry visits on Sanibel Island have already surpassed last year’s total, with local nonprofit FISH of SanCap reporting they now serve 600 households monthly, up from 400 during the same period last year.
Watch as Sanibel Community Correspondent, Anvar Ruziev, visits the pantry and their team:
Demand for food pantry surges on Sanibel as summer slows tourism
The organization is seeing more hospitality workers and seniors seeking assistance as economic pressures mount on the island.
“We’ve had back-to-back disasters in the area and people are just running out of their rainy day funds. People who’ve never had to use a food pantry before are now relying on us for supplemental food, and it’s not something our agency was really prepared for, but we’re pivoting,” said Maria Espinoza, Executive Director of FISH of SanCap…