Poverty and hunger in Alachua County are causing residents to resort to some unusual methods of finding food.
"We have elders reporting that they are Dumpster diving in order to eat at the end of the month when their food stamps run out," said John Skelly, poverty reduction program manager for the Department of Children and Family Services in Alachua County.
Skelly organized the Alachua County Hunger Summit, which drew about 150 people Thursday to the Martin Luther King Jr. Activity Center.
Skelly said he has observed the poverty problems within the county for the past year.
"The biggest situation we are dealing with is hunger," he said.
Local organizations, restaurants and grocery stores have excess food they do not use, he said, adding that the summit will be asking the organizations to donate food so volunteers can deliver them.
Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan said this is the first time Alachua County has held a Hunger Summit, and it came during a particularly challenging time with dwindling resources.
"Only 55 percent of people eligible for food stamps actually receive them," Hanrahan said.
The rest of those eligible often don't apply because of limited access to a computer or means of transportation, according to the 2008 Survey on Hunger in Alachua County conducted by DCF in April.
Don Winstead, deputy secretary of DCF, said UF is a useful resource to the community.
UF has a $4.2 million statewide contract with DCF to aid in helping local communities, Winstead said, and university staff and students provide nutritional education to low income families.
Marilyn Baker, a DCF representative, was on-hand to offer information about income limits and the allotment of money for food stamps, which increases every October.
"For a one-person household, the amount will rise from $162 to $176 per year," she said.
Baker said DCF is informing unemployed residents and those who don't have food for their families about where to go for help.
"People that need food stamps should make sure they apply online," she said. "It processes much faster than the paper application."
Applicants can track their application's progress online, Baker said, and if they do not get a response within 30 days, they should call to follow up.
