ZOLFO SPRINGS, Fla. — Pastor Wendell Smith is quick to answer his phone, because many times, it’s good news.
Each week, he fields calls from logistics companies, grocery stores, and food manufacturers that have excess food to donate to Smith’s food bank in Hardee County, Cutting Edge Ministries Food Bank.
That was the case an afternoon last week when Green Light Logistics gave Smith a call.
“We’ve got 40 cases of microwaves,” the caller, Patty, reported to Smith.
“Microwave sweet potatoes, right?” Smith asked.
“Correct,” she answered.
Calls like those are the lifeblood of Smith’s food bank, which serves hundreds of families across Hardee County.
Lately, because of inflation and the high price of groceries, the food bank has been serving increased demand. After Hurricane Ian, the demand increased more.
“We’re just thankful that we have this opportunity at this time in the season that we’re in,” Smith said.
Two days after Ian passed through Hardee County — toppling trees, damaging roofs, and flooding hundreds of homes and businesses — Cutting Edge Food Bank fed 3,500 people at a distribution in Wauchula. The work hasn’t stopped and won’t, even after Ian fades into history.
But right now, the food bank has an expensive problem at its Zolfo Springs headquarters. The truck that it uses to pick up food from donors needs a costly repair.
In the aftermath of the storm, the truck’s refrigeration unit stopped working. Now, the truck can only be used to pick up and transport non-perishable food items.
“If you don’t keep the temperature right on produce and especially if you’re hauling refrigerated meat or yogurt or things like that, it will go bad on you real quick,” Smith explained.
Without a working refrigeration unit, the food bank will struggle to provide fresh meat, produce, and dairy products to the families it serves.
It would replace the unit if it could, but replacing it will come at an expense. Smith estimates it might cost $25,500 to replace the unit and potentially $30,000 more to replace the box that houses it.
It’s money the small food bank doesn’t have, but it’s hoping for a miracle: it’s hoping that a corporate donor or big-time philanthropist will help fund the truck's repair.
“Oh, it would be a blessing, and I know that the families in Hardee County and the surrounding area would be grateful, and we sure would be grateful,” he said.
You can reach Cutting Edge Ministries Food Bank and Smith at 863-581-7610, 863-773-2484, or cedgemin@gmail.com.
