Food Insecurity in St. Lucie County: A Food Pantry Director's Perspective

Rising Demand at Food Pantries

• 📈 Mustard Seed Ministries experienced a 30% increase in demand for food assistance between January 2024 and January 2025.
• ⚠️ This surge in need predates potential SNAP cuts and has continued to grow, with lines extending around the building.
• 💬 The uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits availability causes significant concern and drives more people to seek help from food pantries.

Who Needs Food Assistance Most

• 🧩 Two distinct groups are seeking help: those who literally cannot feed their families without food pantries, and those who use pantries to divert funds to pay other bills.
• 💼 The latter group increasingly includes working families feeling the economic pinch, not just the unemployed.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The demographic seeking assistance is shifting, no longer limited to single mothers with children, but encompassing a broader range of working individuals and families.

Economic Pressures on Families

• 🏠 Economic challenges, including the housing situation in the area, are contributing to increased food insecurity.
• 💰 Working families are struggling to make ends meet, leading them to rely on food pantries even when employed.