It's another sign of tough times. Long lines of people waiting in the hopes of receiving some help to put food on their holiday tables.
In the South Miami neighborhood called "Little Havana," hundreds of local residents began queuing up last night to take part in a program sponsored by the Latin Chamber of Commerce that distributes free holiday food vouchers.
By mid-day, the numbers swelled into the thousands. Many of them are unemployed or living on a fixed income. For some, this is their first encounter with a program that is equal to that a food bank's.
Angela Llamas, who stood in line for more than 24 hours said:
"Who wants to be here? Not me. It's just tough," said Llamas, who said the food vouchers are a necessity for her family who are all out of work and out of luck. "This is actually the first year this has happened. Usually my mom comes and we give it other people who really need it. But now we're the ones who need it the most. It sucks really bad."
When the doors opened and the holiday food vouchers were quickly distributed, there was still a line around the block. 3,000 vouchers were given out and organizers stated that they could have easily given out twice as many.
The economy has been very bad this year but it always hits closer to home during the holiday season. That is why community participation is so very important. Helping your neighbors is very rewarding, and that help may well be there if you might need it.
recommend
Facebook
Twitter
bookmark 
print
