More than 800 lined up before dawn for a Feeding South Florida food distribution at Amelia Earhart Park. They received liquid eggs, cottage cheese, milk, a brick of cheese, yogurt, tomatoes, 10 pounds of potatoes, bananas, cereal, five pounds of rice, black beans, sour cream, diced chicken and apples.
South Florida been a hot spot for the pandemic, and the economic structure make it particularly vulnerable to the ravages of the coronavirus. South Florida is a service economy, dependent on tourism, retail and trade with small businesses that have found it difficult to hang on.
Before the pandemic 13.5 percent of the population in the Metro area, and 15.8 percent of those 65 years and older already were living below the poverty line.
The county also has one of the widest income gaps in the nation. As a result of economic challenges spawned by COVID-19 14.4 percent of residents in the Miami Metro area are living in households without enough to eat.
The United Way of Miami-Dade and the Miami Foundation have been key in distributing CARES Act funds to people in need. Catalyst Miami is helping people fill out applications for Medicaid, unemployment assistance, KidCare (health insurance for children), SNAP (food stamps), and TANF (cash assistance for families).
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