Pop-up pantries

When The LJD Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) goes into a neighborhood and sets up a food pantry, CEO Colleen Lloyd Rodriguez is prepared for never-ending lines.

That’s even more evident in rural areas like Baker County, Florida, where more than half the residents live 10 miles or more from the nearest supermarket, supercenter or large grocery store. For some people, food from the pantries may be all they receive that month.

In Baker County, 55.5% of the population has low access to food. Baker County has the highest percentage of people with low food access in Northeast Florida and is above the state average of 25%. Lack of public transportation is also a barrier.

To help meet the growing need, Jewish Family and Community Services, with the help of Baptist Health, opened a second food pantry in Macclenny last December, similar to their original Max Block Food Pantry in Jacksonville. In its first food distribution, the Baker County pantry served 114 families in just 24 minutes.

Serving thousands more

Another recent three-year strategic investment from Baptist Health will help the agency serve thousands more in Baker County.

As a commitment to improving the community and to meet the need identified by the Community Health Needs Assessment to improve access to healthy food, Baptist Health is helping expand the Macclenny food pantry and providing support for additional smaller, community pop-up pantries in Baker County and home-delivered meals for isolated, homebound residents. The assistance will help with food and case management services and ensure vulnerable children, families and older adults have consistent access to nutritious food.

The nonprofit also works with churches, civic centers, fire stations, health departments and the Baker County Sheriff’s Office to set up the pantries.

“We know there are pockets of poverty and not everybody is able to come to us,” Rodriguez said. “We would not have been able to do this without Baptist Health. What Baptist Health is doing for the Baker County community is huge. We are really bringing the resources to the people, which they have never had.”

The Max Block Food Pantry in Duval County, including its satellite locations and pop-up sites across Jacksonville, served over 300,000 meals to 31,000 individuals last year. The number of meals is expected to exceed half a million with the addition of Baker County.

Food, clothes and more

The agency hopes to serve close to 6,000 more individuals in Baker County this year, thanks to the investment from Baptist Health, and over 8,000 in two years. The Macclenny location includes a clothing closet, mental health and domestic violence services, and soon an access site for people to sign up for federal food assistance and Medicaid.

The Max Block Food Pantry in Baker County is an essential resource for serving vulnerable populations, including children and families at risk, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness.

“The need is so great,” Rodriguez said. “Our lines are getting longer and longer. They are not going to get shorter as cost of food is not going down and the cost of gas is not going down.”

Jewish Family and Community Services started in 1917 and in 1924 became a charter member of the United Way with a mission of helping people help themselves. The nonprofit, which serves Duval, Nassau, Baker, Bradford, Union and Alachua counties, provides a host of services, including food, clothing, financial assistance, mental health counseling, foster care, adoption, older adult services, case management and a variety of support groups, workshops and education, including a Holocaust Education program.

“Northeast Florida is so large, land-mass wise, transportation can be spotty at best. Now we have moved out into these rural communities with the help of Baptist Health,” Rodriguez said. “We really want to try to wrap services around our clients. Our staff says we want to hug our clients with services.”

“You may be in counseling and mention to a therapist, 'I don’t know how I’m going to feed my kids tonight.' We can walk you down the hallway to the food pantry and get you food. Or you may not have electricity and it’s cold outside, and we can walk you down the hallway and get your electricity turned back on. We try to meet as many needs of our clients that we can.”

Benefiting working families, seniors

The agency sees a lot of working families in hard times for various reasons, including facing an unexpected illness, caring for an elderly relative, or dealing with a car accident and unexpected bills.

“I know there is a vision of who comes to a food pantry, but I encourage people to go to one because the people in the lines look like you and me,” Rodriguez said.

Struggling seniors on fixed income are also a growing population in need.

“Seniors and families with young children are two of the fastest growing populations of homelessness,” Rodriquez said. “They are making decision on whether to get their prescriptions or eat. We are giving out nutritious meals with vegetables and protein. We also try to help health-wise by having conversations through our case management with families about healthy eating.”

Helping others is what keeps Rodriguez and her team going. While she’s been the CEO about 16 years, she started as a social worker for the agency 28 years ago.

“I love being a social worker. I never had aspirations of being the CEO. I love working the frontline,” she said. “That’s part of why I love doing the expansion in the rural community. I love being hands-on. It’s very rewarding for me. We couldn’t do it without our supporters who understand the need for a wholistic approach and collaboration.”

Read about the work of The LJD Jewish Family and Community Services. Learn more about Baptist Health’s commitment to improving health and well-being in Northeast Florida by working together with local nonprofit agencies to address a variety of needs. Read the Community Health Needs Assessment.