Hungry Americans in Florida being fed for free: ‘People are getting hurt’

On any given Saturday morning in the parking lot of the Boynton Beach Mall in Florida, hundreds of drivers line up in their cars, eager to get food.

“These are everyday people. They have jobs,” Charles Bender told Fox News Digital. “They don’t just go away.”

Bender is founding CEO of Place of Hope, a faith-based organization that provides programs and services to children and families in five Florida counties.

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“Every Saturday of the month, we serve families who are most in need of food and healthy food – and that’s a huge amount,” Bender said. “So, we go out there every Saturday and try to meet their needs.”

This program started earlier this year. After three months, Bender said, Place of Hope had served more than a million pounds of food.

By December, that number had grown to more than two million.

Volunteers at Place of Hope meet for a few hours every Saturday morning to provide essential food and drink to those waiting – all for free.

“There’s no pre-testing,” Bender said. “These are just people in need … and volunteers are there to load their cars with donated goods.”

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Donations come from local businesses, grocery stores like Publix and Trader Joe’s and even the US Department of Agriculture, Bender said.

“We’re talking about solid, nutritious food for families — produce and meat and poultry and all kinds of different things, other canned foods,” he said.

Volunteers organize food bags before the start of the event. People line up in their cars to get full meals, including produce and meat. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

One Saturday in late September, volunteers were sorting through donations that had been dropped off from refrigerated trucks.

Among the donated food and drinks are cucumbers, squash, potatoes, meat, bread, cheese, milk and juice. There was even food for the kids.

Before the line opened, the volunteers gathered around the priest who led them in prayer. Then it was time to go to work.

The pastor leads the volunteers in prayer before the line opens. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

Volunteers work in an assembly line, filling each open pant with breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as water and soft drinks, as the vehicles slowly move through each stop.

It takes about two and a half minutes from start to finish.

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Cars often line up before sunrise – hours before distribution begins – to secure a spot.

A volunteer loads cheese into the boot of a car in line. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

“People get hurt,” Bender said.

“Who wants to wait in line for food on a Saturday? But if you have to, you’ll wait.”

Hot dogs and sausages are sitting on the table ready to be loaded into carts. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

The first driver who passed the line that Saturday identified himself as Mike, and refused to give his last name.

She told Fox News Digital that she is disabled and thanked Place of Hope for helping.

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“I thank God that they are doing this,” he said. “It’s a good thing they’re doing. It helps a lot.”

A man who was first in line during the drive-thru food distribution told Fox News Digital he was grateful for the help. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

Grandfather called it a “blessing.”

The Place of Hope is not just about feeding families on Saturdays.

The organization also provides food for the week to foster families in the area.

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“It’s good people coming together to meet this need,” Bender said.

That need is most evident on Saturday mornings in the mall’s parking lot.

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“These are everyday people from all walks of life [who] I just need that extra help because, four years ago, it didn’t look like this,” said Bender.

“It didn’t sound like this.”