Judith Cruz is an avid warrior in the fight against hunger. For 15 years, she has served as president and CEO of the Treasure Coast Food Bank (TCFB), a regional hunger-relief nonprofit in Fort Pierce, Florida, that distributed 55 million meals last year, more than half of which consisted of fresh produce. She is a former board member of Feeding America and past chair of Feeding Florida.
Every day, Cruz and the hard-working employees and volunteers at TCFB aim to help the most vulnerable, including children, seniors and people facing costly medical bills, underemployment or other economic struggles. Through partnerships with local farmers, ranchers and retailers, the organization provides access to fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as dairy and protein options. TCFB collaborates with agencies, local governments and other nonprofits to take healthy sustenance into at-risk neighborhoods, including hard-to-reach rural communities, through mobile pantries.
Could you define food insecurity?
It’s a condition where people don’t have reliable access to healthy, affordable food on an ongoing basis. They might not know where their next meal is coming from. They might have limitations as to how many times a day or per week they can eat. Folks that are struggling with food insecurity might have only one meal a day and have limitations on what that would be. It might not be the most healthy meal. It could be low-quality food, and all of that has a negative impact on their overall physical and mental health and well-being.
How prevalent is food insecurity?
Nationally, one in five people are food insecure, and certain groups are more vulnerable. When we talk about people struggling to put food on their table, it’s natural to visualize the commercials of families in other countries that are starving. In the United States, people are starving in a different way. They are being filled with empty calories, creating a host of health issues and health disparities that accompany empty calories, including obesity. For children, eating poorly can result in disciplinary struggles.
What are the most common causes of food insecurity?
Many things contribute to it, including poverty and food deserts. People living in low-income areas more than likely don’t have access to grocery stores or markets with healthy foods, so they’re eating empty calories. There are people struggling with underemployment, unemployment, the high cost of living, health issues or high medical bills. Here in Florida, rental housing has become unaffordable. And then there are the racial and ethnic disparities that people experience.
How does a food bank help people struggling with food insecurity?
This food bank is a bit of an innovator with more of a holistic approach. We take the person that is in need of assistance and look at the other areas where they’re struggling. It’s not just about providing food, but it’s providing those wraparound services that they may need to make it easier for them to lift themselves up out of the situation that they’re in.
Obviously, our core mission is to provide food now. In collaboration with partner agencies and emergency organizations, we supply food for distribution at soup kitchens and pantries, and also do our own distributions through mobile and pop-up pantries. But in addition, we also provide SNAP [food stamp] assistance and connect them to all kinds of social services through our benefits outreach programs and community partners. It’s kind of a one-stop shop for folks.
If you’re coming to us for food assistance, you can meet with our case manager and get information about housing, health care and other services in one sitting without having to go to different agencies. We also offer job training programs for people that need new training or a career path that can pay them a better living wage than what they’re currently earning. The goal is to reduce hunger not just by providing food, but by helping people with the different services and providing other essential items that they might need, like shampoo and cleaning products.
How important is the contribution of volunteers?
Volunteers are critical to every piece of our operation—without them, we couldn’t do it. Last year, we had just over 11,000 volunteers that provided over 45,000 hours of service working in food distribution, special events, the office and in the food production kitchen where we prepare meals every day.
Do you have hope?
I have hope because of the volunteers. After a natural disaster or at the worst time in someone’s life, there’s always someone here doing what they can to make it better. Humanity always surprises me because we step up. I would encourage everybody to give their time, talent or treasure to any organization they care about. Nonprofits can’t do it alone. They need help from the community, and if folks have time or some money to give, that’s the best thing they can do for any organization, whether it’s a food bank, the arts or a children’s charity.
Sandra Yeyati is the national editor of Natural Awakenings magazine.
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