Free food in a box? Bay County gets on board with growing worldwide project for the needy
Ebonee BurrellPANAMA CITY — A worldwide project has expanded to Bay County to help provide the local community with a variety of complementary foods for those in need.
Created in Austin, Texas, the Food is Free Project is a movement that has extended to more than 350 cities to encourage communities to grow and share food. Since 2012, its constant growth across the world has made a difference in many lives. This project came to Bay County as Food is Free 850 in January.
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Food is Free 850 serves the purpose of building a safer, stronger and healthier community by connecting with individuals to help make a difference and offering free food items to take from a box. The stand includes a table with fruit and vegetable seeds for those wishing to grow their meals and a food box with non-perishable food items, free for anyone to take.
Bay County's current food box is located at 602 New York Ave. in Lynn Haven.
Megan Fielder, an organizer of Food is Free 850, said they encourage anyone to become involved to have more locations accessible in the community.
“We’re trying to address all the steps to create a more free and abundant availability of food in the local community,” Fielder said. “We’d like to help those in need by providing free food for them and encourage those who aren’t in that situation to get involved with this project.”
Food is Free 850 operates year-round for anyone to take what they need and leave what they can. The group hopes to have more boxes spread throughout the city soon, along with a community garden to create that space for others. Once a week, they partner with Love in Action, a nonprofit organization that provides meals for the homeless community.
“I’m hoping that everybody can connect on needs because we need food every day. Giving such a wide option for people putting themselves out there that they will find a way to involve themselves in our community,” Fielder said.
Food is Free 850 is open to anyone who wants to engage with the community and it’s based on household contributions and what they are willing to provide. In addition, the organizers are eager to help people with tips on how to get started.
For more information on donating or getting involved with Food is Free 850, join the Food is Free 850 community public Facebook group.