Proposed county budget cuts are leaving one South Florida distribution center in danger, but the mayor said this difficult decision is necessary.
Volunteers with Catholic Charities of Miami were up bright and early Saturday morning to feed people in need from across Miami-Dade.
The Matthew 25 Food Pantry in Country Walk serves around 2,000 families each month, but the future of their ability to help is now uncertain due to the proposed county budget cuts.
“We rely heavily on goods that are received from the local food banks, from Farm Share. Farm Share is one of the entities that are funded through Miami-Dade County to provide us with food,” said Iani Carvalho, Director of Operations for Matthew 25 Food Pantry.
This all comes as Miami-Dade County is facing a $400 million deficit for the upcoming 2025-2026 fiscal year. To offset it, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has proposed significant cuts, with nonprofit funding for organizations like Farm Share taking a hit.
“If we experience cuts to the county budget that affect the local food bank, we’re going to have to start reducing the amount of people that we serve here and turn more and more of these families away,” said Carvalho.
Jesus Farinas, one of many standing in line Saturday morning is a disabled veteran who relies on Catholic Charities and the food bank. He told 7News they are a lifeline to him.
“Right now, this is the only way I can get food, because I am living off my disability,” he said.
Should the food bank be underfunded, Farinas said, the effects will be crippling.
“There’s families here — children, you see the kids in the cars. You know, it’s heartbreaking at times,” he said. “There’s people here with young kids — 2, 3, 4 years old, you know. How are they gonna make it sometimes?”
That’s why Catholic Charities is now calling for the community to voice their concerns to county leaders ahead of the September budget vote.
“The resources we have are limited, so we are having to turn some families away already as it is,” said Carvalho.
As those running Matthew 25 Food Pantry hope to be able to continue holding these food distributions, Levine Cava defended her decision, saying cuts of this nature are needed to ensure long-term success.
“We’ve had to tighten our belts and make difficult choices,” she said. “This is a balanced, community-focused budget that makes the difficult decisions necessary to keep Miami-Dade strong in the long run.”
A spokesperson for Catholic Charities told 7News they plan to attend the mayor’s upcoming public meetings on Monday and Tuesday to voice their opinions.
If you have any interest in learning more, email matthew25@ccadm.org or click here.