As a single grandmother with custody of her five grandchildren, Paula Scott once struggled to put food on the table for her family.

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Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, creating an economic crisis that made life even harder for families like Paula’s.

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But thanks to the power of local philanthropy, Paula and grandparents like her had an ally to help keep their families fed. The Pantry of Broward, Inc. provides 55-pound boxes of nutritious food to Broward seniors in need who are caring for their grandchildren.

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“Without the Pantry of Broward, I don’t know how I would be able to feed my family,” said Paula, whose grandchildren range in age from 6 to 12.

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Support from the Community Foundation of Broward has enabled The Pantry of Broward to help even more families like Paula’s during this time of crisis.

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The boxes families receive are filled with canned goods, produce, meat, eggs and other nutritional food items. The Pantry of Broward also helps families with school supplies and applying for government assistance.

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“As a result of the Coronavirus, Broward residents by-and-large were very much impacted by the pandemic and the increase in public hunger became even more of a crisis,” said Maureen Luna, CEO of The Pantry of Broward, Inc. “Thanks to our partnership with Community Foundation of Broward, The Pantry of Broward was able to distribute more food to many low-income families who otherwise would have gone without their basic food needs, and for that we are extremely grateful.”

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This support for The Pantry of Broward is just one example of more than $3 million in immediate crisis response the Community Foundation has provided during the pandemic – through emergency grants, grant flexibility, new collaborations and other innovative support.

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And in addition to our immediate crisis response, the Community Foundation has also invested an initial $2 million to tackle the pandemic’s effects on Broward’s Issues That Matter – 10 challenges that affect us all and are critical to a brighter future for our community.

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Help for struggling families, our seniors, local schools, the arts, our environment – ongoing investment in these and other Issues That Matter will ensure that the pandemic doesn’t rob our residents of the vibrant, thriving community they deserve.

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Thanks to the support of visionary Fundholders who create endowed charitable Funds, the Community Foundation will always be there for Broward’s residents – during this crisis and beyond.

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Support for The Pantry of Broward, Inc. was made possible by the following charitable Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward:

• James K. Oppenheimer Fund
• Marsha and Alan Levy Educational Opportunity Fund

‍The Humana Foundation’s collaboration with the Community Foundation of Broward also provided support for The Pantry of Broward, Inc.

To learn how you can help Broward during this crisis and beyond with an endowed charitable Fund, contact Vice President of Philanthropic Services Nancy Thies at nthies@cfbroward.org or 954-761-9503.

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