PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A local food pantry is at risk of closing because of higher rent and utilities.
The Father and Son Love Free food pantry in Lake O' Lakes has fed thousands of people over the years, and now they're worried they may have to close their doors.
“Our landlord doubled our rent. Full stop. It wasn’t over time. It was all at once,” Pastor Clarence Jones said.
He opened this food pantry in the back of his church six years ago.
“We started it with a few little pieces of bread and some water,” Jones said.
He explained that it's grown into something they are proud of.
The landlord raised the rent from $3,000 to $6,000 a month. Jones said that is not doable for this nonprofit.
“It’s been tough. I've had to use a lot of my own savings, which, I'm not ashamed to say it, has been wiped out,” Jones said.
On top of the rent hike, he said utility bills and other payments have also gone up, making it hard to make ends meet because they operate as a charity, not a business.
He said they will be forced to close their doors on May 1 if they can't find funding.
“I know for me, I don’t know what I would do,” Linda Wright said.
Wright is a single mother raising three kids in Lutz. She said the food pantry's closure would be detrimental to the community.
“There are some weeks that you don't have food, and I don't know how I would get it for the kids, so I need them to stay open," Wright said.
On those days that she comes up empty handed, she relies on the Father and Son Love Free Food Pantry.
“They have saved me a lot, cause like I said, not being able to feed the kids is hard. Me, I can do without and stuff, but they can't, you know,” Wright said.
The pastor explained they served the unhoused, working, poor, veterans or anyone that is struggling to find a meal.
They are looking for corporate sponsors or donations to stay open. Click here for more information on how to help.
