Despite Cape Coral’s growth, food insecurity is still prevalent

Reporter: Taylor Wirtz Writer: Matthew Seaver
Published: Updated:
Stack of canned food. (Credit: WINK News)

Hunger does not know zip codes, city, or county boundaries. It can be anywhere, even in the least likely place.

Cape Coral is booming. New neighborhoods are going up by the day, and so are housing prices, but in the city that is thriving, many people are not.

Marcia Greene with the We Care Food Pantry said, “a lot of people are losing their apartments, a lot of people can’t make their mortgage payments anymore. So a lot of people are coming in saying, ‘well, this might be the last time I can get here for a while because I’m going to be homeless.'”

There is the homeless we see, and the homeless who sleep on a friend’s couch or move into an extended stay motel.

They are one crisis away from living on the street.

Pastor Charles Minton meets them every Thursday night at his Cape Vineyard Community Church’s Thursday night dinner.

Minton said, “there’s so many more people that are just maybe just afraid of being looked down upon.”

Pastor Minton said the evening offers a hearty meal and hope.

“I think just having a place that you can come and be yourself and know that you got other people who are going through the same things will help take some of that pressure off of just asking for help. They can come hang out, have a great time and leave with a full stomach and a little bit of hope in their heart,” Minton said.

Like so many other places, a glance suggests Cape Coral is on the upswing, but a closer look reveals plenty of people on the downside of life.

WINK News is marching towards feeding 1 million people by March 1.

Our March to a Million Meals campaign helps the Harry Chapin Food Bank continue its mission of helping families in need.

Please consider donating by clicking the link.

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