Miami, Florida – Staff from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO-SDFL) served nearly 400 people this morning during a Farm Share Food Drive at Demps Park in Miami.
The distribution was scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to noon, but people were lined up by 8 a.m. so staff adjusted and began an hour early. The supplies, which included two pallets of meat, several bread bins, and a large amount of pasta and canned items were gone shortly after 10 a.m.
“The reality is that there is food insecurity nationwide and particularly in South Florida,” said J.D. Smith, Chief of Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section, USAO-SDFL. “Prices have gone up on everything and people are on limited incomes … this is an important resource that people depend on.”
If the speed with which the food drive was over is any indication, then, yes, it seems people do depend on these types of services.
“There is this impression that everyone is working, but that just isn’t the case,” said Smith. “For senior citizens, the young, and the unemployed, it can be a difficult situation. We are fortunate enough to have jobs and be in a position to help.”
For Smith, it comes down to doing the right thing. It’s a sense of duty.
“It’s important for us to pay it forward,” he said. “We all have that bell in the back of our minds that reminds us to help people other than our own families. It’s our duty to answer that bell.”
The most important aspect for Department of Justice staff at the food drive was simple—helping people.
“It means a lot to me because people have suffered,” said Mark McKinney, Law Enforcement Coordination specialist with USAO-SDFL. “Doing something positive for the community helps relieve a burden. We do these food drives consistently so at least those who need assistance know they can count on this.”
Department of Justice staff members hold these drives four times per month by partnering with Farm Share, Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation, and Miami-Dade Police Department—South District. Click here for times and locations as they do change.
Staff from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Miami gather by the Farm Share truck that supplied the food for today’s Food Drive at Demps Park in Miami. Nearly 400 people were served in a little more than two hours.
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