Newly renovated Miami food pantry's goal: fight food insecurity in Allapattah, Brownsville

With funding from the health insurance firm Florida Blue, local non-profit officials opened a newly renovated food pantry — La Bodega — on Thursday in Allapattah with an innovative goal: combat food insecurity and health inequality in the 33142 zip code.

Funding for the YMCA of South Florida’s La Bodega renovation is part of Florida Blue’s expansion into Miami-Dade of its “Growing Resilient Communities” initiative with several partners dedicated to addressing “generational poverty” in the 33142 ZIP code. The food pantry provides fresh food to nearly 200 South Florida families.

The project is the first in Miami-Dade and second community in South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) focused on food insecurity and bridging the health inequality gap. The “Growing Resilient Communities” initiative was launched in 2019 by Florida Blue.

The 33142 zip code is home to about 54,000 people and one in four families live below the federal poverty line, according to the latest data, which shows the median income is about $34,000 compared to $65,415 for the overall county.

As part of Thursday’s event, Florida Blue announced partnerships with the following groups and projects:

The Allapattah Collaborative CDC, which is planning to purchase a mixed-use facility in Allapattah that will anchor local businesses and prevent displacement. They also will launch a Fresh Food Incubator program to expand access to healthy food and support local entrepreneurs.

Common Threads, a leader in wellness and nutrition, will partner with the Village of Allapattah YMCA to advance evidence-based nutrition education, cooking skills and food access.

Florida International University – Neighborhood Health Education Learning Program (NeighborhoodHELP) provides a model of academic and community partnerships that enhance health care student education and improve health in the community.

Goodwill Industries of South Florida’s new Adult Day Training Center and its efforts to build new skills for individuals facing barriers to work.

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