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Local pantry program brings fresh, nutritious food to families in need
Thu, August 27, 2026 at 10:51 PM
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Volunteers with the Mobile School Pantry distribute fresh fruits, vegetables and other nutritious groceries to families during a community food distribution event aimed at expanding access to healthy food and reducing food insecurity in South Florida. (WPEC/Forever Family)
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla (CBS12) —As students prepare for a new school year, many families are thinking about more than notebooks and backpacks. For households facing financial challenges, access to healthy, nutritious food remains a daily concern
That’s where the Mobile School Pantryis stepping in, working to provide fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy grocery items to low-income families across South Florida
“Healthy food is like a school supply,” said Zeina Zein Wolland of the Mobile School Pantry. “Kids can’t show up to learn and be successful if they’re hungry and if they’re suffering with chronic illnesses.”
The grassroots initiative is focused on improving access to nutritious foods while treating families with dignity and respect. Through its client-choice model, families are able to select the foods that best meet their needs
“We actually set up a client-choice school pantry where families can receive food with dignity, choice and care,” Wolland said
Community volunteers are an important part of the effort. Among them is Keon, a young volunteer who recently helped distribute food to families
“I came here to serve the community and give back,” Keon said. “It’s really a good thing to help.”
The experience also taught him the value of healthy eating
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“It’s important to eat healthy food so you can grow, have nutrition and just live a good healthy long life,” he said
Wolland said proper nutrition at a young age can help prevent health problems later in life. Diets high in sugar and sodium, she said, can contribute to chronic health issues and make it harder for children to thrive
“When you’re starting to eat unhealthy at a young age, the odds are stacked against you from the very beginning,” Wolland said. “Things with high sugar and sodium are only contributing to more of their health issues rather than helping them.”
For many families, the challenge is not understanding the importance of healthy food but being able to afford it
“Families in low-income households who are working but barely getting by with minimum wage, going to the grocery store and reaching for a bag of grapes that are $8.99 a pound, that’s almost your full hourly wage,” Wolland said
She hopes efforts like the Mobile School Pantry can also help remove the stigma surrounding food assistance
“We’re here to help people at the end of the day,” Wolland said. “That’s what food pantries are there for, to give you that hand up, not a handout. There’s nothing wrong with asking for a little help because we’re all here for each other at the end of the day.”
Families looking for food assistance remily.org, in partnership with ChildNet and The Boca Raton
