United Way of Palm Beach County's (UWPBC) Hunger Relief Initiative provides you with important news about hunger relief in Palm Beach County. Information is current as of January 8, 2025. Check out what's new and learn about ongoing work below.

Project Thanksgiving

United Way of Palm Beach County partnered with CBS 12 News and the Palm Beach County Food Bank for the 34th year of Project Thanksgiving™ from October 14 to November 21, 2024, to provide families, seniors, and children in need with a hearty holiday meal. Ten frontline hunger relief agencies were awarded funds.

2024 SOFI Economic Mobility Summit

United Way of Palm Beach County Hunger Relief participated in the Economic Mobility Summit of the Securing Our Future Initiative (SOFI) and presented on the Palm Beach County Hunger Relief Plan and all the progress made since 2015. The summit workshops featured local organizations, policymakers, and stakeholders collaborating and showcasing initiatives designed to advance economic mobility, particularly for low-income families.

Partner Agency Tours

Hunger Relief has been busy touring partner agency sites. In early November, we toured Melaleuca Elementary School and Rolling Green Elementary School, two locations that are now participating in the Family Weekend Backpack Program. Later in the month, we toured Feeding South Florida's Boynton Beach location to learn more about their programs, culinary training, and food pantry. Lastly, we toured Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies' new location and learned more about their programs.

United Way of Palm Beach County partners with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to provide free, confidential, and secure preparation and e-filing of tax returns to qualified taxpayers. To qualify, taxpayer’s household income must have been $76,000 or less in 2024. You may be eligible for up to $7,830 in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC).

• Filed Yourself – Visit www.MyFreeTaxes.com and file your own tax return. It’s simple, fast and secure. Support is available via toll-free helpline or web chat.
• Filed For You – Face-to-face tax preparation, visit our year-round tax preparation location.

Children who depend on school meals during the year often miss out on these free, nutritious meals during the summer months. Your support as a SBS site can help close that gap this summer.

Are you interested in becoming a Summer BreakSpot site? If your organization already provides services to the community and has capable staff and experience in managing a food service program, you may be a good fit. Meals are reimbursable through the Summer BreakSpot Program. All new community partners should be prepared to complete training in February.

The Florida Department of Health is seeking community assistance promoting the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) by displaying the campaign flyer in lobbies and other frequently trafficked areas. The campaign is focused on increasing enrollment of women in their first trimester.

The Palm Beach County Food Finder Map is updated weekly and has been viewed over 475,000 times! Anyone looking for food or helping others find food is encouraged to search locations on the map. You can also get help finding food locations by calling 2-1-1.

A robust food pantry system is the best way to ensure people can access emergency food. Pantries mainly rely on food from local food banks and other donations. Inflation and the end of many COVID-era programs have decreased contributions and food available through the emergency food system. Support your local food bank and pantry system through food donations.

Farm Bill

The Farm Bill is a comprehensive package of legislation passed once every five years that has a direct impact on agriculture, food systems, and consumers. It covers programs ranging from crop insurance for farmers to healthy food access for low-income families.

SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps)

SNAP provides food benefits to eligible families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford nutritious food essential to their health and well-being.

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

WIC provides supplemental foods, healthcare referrals, nutrition education/counseling, breastfeeding support, and more for women, infants, and children (up to age five).

To access more food assistance information and resources, visit our website.

Pahokee Free Tree Giveaway

Glades community members can come out to Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church located at 187 W 5th St, Pahokee, FL 33476 on Saturday, January 25 at 10:00 a.m. to take home two FREE trees to plant in their yard!

2025 Food Waste Prevention Week

April 7-13, 2025, is Food Waste Prevention Week. In the U.S., approximately 40% of all food grown and produced is never eaten. This national social media campaign raises awareness of the impact of food waste on food insecurity, the environment, and cost savings. Becoming a partner is easy, so register for a Partner Info Session today and take the first step toward joining Food Waste Prevention Week!

We could not do our work without you! The Hunger Relief Initiative uses the Collective Impact Model to implement the Palm Beach County Hunger Relief Plan and make sustainable, long-term changes to reduce food insecurity in Palm Beach County. This work happens through our Hunger Relief Advisory Council and the Council's five work groups and two subcommittees. Please send us an email to learn more.

Check out our website for more information on UWPBC's Hunger Relief efforts and how to get involved. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us anytime by calling 561-375-6600 or emailing us.

Stay Connected!