Fighting food insecurity on Marco Island

If you look beyond the fancy mansions and private communities on Marco Island, you’ll see that there’s a growing number of people who need help feeding their families.

Lisa Van Horn has a cleaning company. “This is how I get ready for work every day. I get everything out of the car,” Horn said.

When it comes to her cleaning company, she’s always fully stocked with supplies.

But, lately, it’s been difficult to fill up her trunk with groceries. She also lives on Marco Island, where rent isn’t exactly cheap.

“Over the summer it was very quiet, and my husband and I did not work for seven weeks. And seven weeks without a paycheck is devastating and I didn’t qualify for unemployment because I’m self-employed.”

Luckily, the community on Marco Island is stepping up and packing up help.

Ron McClay volunteers with Our Daily Bread Food Pantry. “These are all canned goods. “Rice, ravioli, cereal.”

Boxes and boxes of food are loaded up into a truck that goes to Our Daily Bread Food Pantry.

“About a year ago at the same time we were doing 140 families total a week and now we’re doing over 1,000,” McClay said.

They then distribute those groceries to people in need who live on Marco Island. People in a situation similar to Van Horn.

“It’s the people who are working in the restaurants and working in the grocery store,” she said. “It’s the people that are waiting on you that are in such need, need this area and you don’t think of Naples and Marco as people needing help but it’s here.”

With extra-long lines since the pandemic began, the nonprofit has more than doubled its mobile food pantry services throughout Collier County. The community has been stepping up too.

“The support here is just unbelievable,” said McClay.

Winn-Dixie recently donated $10,000, which is enough to feed about 322 families, in an effort to keep the pantry supplied.

Everyone helping out so people like Lisa Van Horn can have food on their table.

Our Daily Bread Food Pantry is located at 1450 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island, FL 34145. Guests are welcome on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.