GIBSONTON, Fla. — A Hillsborough County elementary school is seeing more parents struggling to provide food for their families. But Gibsonton Elementary School is trying to make sure everyone has enough to eat.
Jessica Dalton will have to make a box she received from the food pantry at Gibsonton Elementary go a long way.
"I say at least ten meals," Dalton said.
The single mother who recently moved to Hillsborough County just found out about the food pantry when she enrolled her son at the school.
"The cost of food is really high, and it’s just not enough money. The checks is not enough to cover everything that we’re going through," Dalton said.
With the rising cost of groceries, more families like Dalton’s are relying on the school’s weekly food distribution. The food, which is provided by Feeding Tampa Bay, feeds around 230 families a month.
“Before COVID happened in 2020, the number of families that were coming were quite smaller. After COVID, the number had duplicated, and since then, it’s only grown,” Gibsonton Elementary Community School Coordinator Catherine Gilmore said.
It’s the fourth school year Gibsonton has been able to provide this community resource, which allows families to have a meal without wondering where the food will come from.
Gilmore stated that providing families with nutritious food creates stability.
“For us at Gibsonton Elementary, we want stable families. Because stable families mean our children stay here longer and they’re able to grow academically," Gilmore said.
