‘Through the roof’: Local agencies see skyrocketing demand for food

Local agencies that provide food for people in need said they are struggling to keep up.

A fire at the Salvation Army in Kissimmee has only increased demand.

“We have ourselves stocked right now, but in a week, it will be down to nothing,” said Warren Hougland.

Hougland and his crew have been busy. He runs the Food Pantry at the Osceola Council on Aging.

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It began providing food assistance programs more than 50 years ago.

“It’s a lot of food that goes through the door,” Hougland said. “We spend about $40,000 every two to three months on just buying food.”

Hougland said the need is at record levels.

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“Over the past six months, the demand has skyrocketed,” he said. “Demand has doubled or almost tripled. Sometimes, I almost have to turn people away.”

He said the cost is a contributing factor, and the Kissimmee Salvation Army arson fire in November worsened the situation.

“When any partner loses funding or experiences a disaster like the Salvation Army has, it falls on all of us,” Hougland said.

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The Salvation Army has a temporary setup at the Church of Nazarene in Kissimmee until it can find a permanent location.

“We are giving out clothes now and food,” Captain Ken Chapman said. “And all along, we didn’t stop with our social service, our rent and utility assistance.”

But Hougland said since the pandemic, donations are at an all-time low.

“If the economy doesn’t get any better, it will for sure get worse,” he said.

The Osceola Council on Aging needs donations and accepts monetary donations as well. Some can even order food online and have it delivered to the location.

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