PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A local food bank has enough food to feed hundreds of people, but only a handful of volunteers to help distribute the food. Hope Villages of America is in desperate need of more people to volunteer.
The current team is doing all they can, but staff said they need more hands.
WATCH: Local food bank has enough food, but not enough volunteers to distribute it
Carrie Granato is recently retired and has been stepping up to volunteer her time. She sees firsthand the good work this organization does.
“My parents have a neighbor who’s been coming here regularly who really needs this, and I saw what good they are doing, so I wanted to chip in,” Granato said.
She said it's crucial that everyone helps their community during this time.
“There are a lot of people that need help right now,” Granato said.
The numbers back up her claim.
“We are serving upwards of 150 households a day that are in crisis. They need food," Lindsey Peek, the volunteer manager at Hope Villages of America, said.
She said in order to meet demand, they need at least 15 volunteers a day. The day we visited, only six showed up.
Peek said they are calling on the community to help.
“I always say you don’t have to do everything, we just need you to come do something,” Peek said.
Click here if you are interested in volunteering.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
