Gainesville Bread of the Mighty received a truckload of 33,800 pounds of food Thursday morning, a donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A group of about 20 volunteers and leaders watched in anticipation as the red, white and blue semi-truck imprinted with the words “Just Serve” rolled onto Northwest 10th Avenue.
Kevin Chase, a truck driver for the church, pulled up the overhead door of the truck to reveal 24 pallets of food shipped directly from Salt Lake City, Utah, which he drove all the way himself.
Chase’s delivery was one of 250 brought to pantries across the country as part of a partnership with America250 to commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Food insecurity is a challenge that families face both locally and nationally.
According to the Florida Department of Health, the most recent government report said 15.2% of Alachua County’s population experienced food insecurity in 2023.
Nationally, 13.7% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity during 2024.
“We are here to serve each other," Chase said. “That’s what the church is all about.”
All of the food in the shipment was grown, produced and canned by the church all over the country, he said, and much of the work was done by volunteers.
Volunteers smiled and struck up conversations as forklifts unloaded the pallets of shelf-safe foods, which included canned vegetables and boxes of pasta.
Cheryl Granto, a church member who volunteers at Bread of the Mighty, said watching the food come in “brought such a wonderful feeling.”
“It just gets my heart,” Granto said. “People need to eat, and we’re feeding the many.”
After receiving donations like Thursday’s delivery, Bread of the Mighty volunteers and staff sort the food into boxes that are shipped to local agencies, which distribute the food to the community.
Sherah English, the local food bank’s director, has been part of the organization for a decade. Donations like Thursday’s delivery are especially valuable as the holidays approach, she said. Not being able to put traditional foods on the table for holidays like Thanksgiving can be an added emotional struggle for families.
“For us to be able to use this shipment to pack Thanksgiving boxes just makes us feel like the work that we're doing matters,” English said. “[It] makes such a big difference in the community.”
Mia Driaza is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
