An estimated 500 families accepted a frozen turkey and all the fixings from about 100 volunteers at the 34th annual Mandarin Food Bank on Monday, Nov. 25. 2024. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on November 25, 2024 at 3:57 pm
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Natalia Sarapil is spending Thanksgiving with family in Mandarin after coming to the U.S. from war-torn Ukraine.
But needing food to serve her family, she turned Monday to the Mandarin Food Bank, standing in a long line with hundreds of others.
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“My Ukrainian family is here, and we need this food,” she said. “I feel good, and thank you.”
Sofiia Gryshko, her 13-year-old niece, added: “We have a big family, and in Ukraine, we didn’t really celebrate it. Now we are in America, we really want to welcome this tradition. Thank you for these people who do this — they are fabulous people, and we are really thankful for them.”
For 34 years, the small food bank on Old St. Augustine Road has helped people in need with monthly food and guidance, as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets with turkeys, fresh produce and all the fixings for holiday meals. But this year’s Thanksgiving need is higher than ever — not only in Mandarin, but across the region.
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About 500 families signed up for the holiday meal baskets in Mandarin, surpassing last year’s total of 400-plus, said food bank founder and Director Bonnie Arnold.
“We prepare for 500 families, but we could pack more bags and boxes if we need to, and we are ready,” Arnold said.
Many factors are causing need to rise, she said.
“This year we have seen an increase of families,” she said. “We are not really quite sure. We think it really is the economy. It is so difficult to put together a meal for Thanksgiving when you are living paycheck to paycheck. And groceries are so expensive. … One day a week, we see at least 10 new families, and we used to average close to 50 families a day. Now it is 60 to 70.”
Other organizations have seen the same trend.
Feeding Northeast Florida distributed turkeys, produce and essential items to 500 local people and families in need at its fifth annual Harvest Helpings food distribution Saturday at Lonnie Miller Park. In all, the organization distributed 5,000 turkeys this year in its 12-county service area.
The need for food is increasing because of rising prices and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials from Feeding Northeast Florida said.
The food bank distributed about 34.6 million pounds of food in 2023 and expects that amount to rise to 36 million pounds this year. About 272,000 people have some level of food insecurity across the 12-county area, the group says. About 90,000 of those people are children.
Elsewhere, hundreds of vehicles lined up by noon Monday on Gator Bowl Boulevard for The Jaguars Foundation’s annual Turkey Time with the Jaguars, which began at 2 p.m. The effort helped 600 families with traditional holiday meal baskets.
More than 100 volunteers in Mandarin spent the morning packing 500 food baskets.
Volunteers set Victoria Miller’s wheelchair in the back of her SUV next to the turkey and other food she got at the food bank. She said she has a big Thanksgiving to prepare for with 20 people.
“I am here because I am disabled and on Social Security, so there’s a need,” Miller said. “It will feed them, and I am very grateful to have it.”
The volunteers included Michael Boylan, a City Council member and member of the Rotary Club of Mandarin. Like the others, he has watched the need increase each year.
Volunteers handed out 366 Thanksgiving baskets to needy families in 2009, rising to about 550 in 2016. In 2018, 420 baskets were given, then 440 in 2019 and then 423 two years ago.
“Where it really matters is that each year this line gets longer and longer, so the need clearly here in Mandarin is still very real,” Boylan said.
Arnold agreed that rising need “has become the norm every Thanksgiving.”
“At 5:30 a.m. they are already in line,” she said. “It will be a busy but very joyful day.”
Other Thanksgiving help
Other holiday dinner or food basket giveaways are planned this week, after others occurred Saturday, including Clara White Mission’s annual Feed the City event.
Among the distributions this week:
- MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation will deliver a Thanksgiving meal to more than 120 families on Wednesday, courtesy of Southeastern Grocers and donations from Northeast Florida community and corporate groups.
- The City Rescue Mission’s Thanksgiving meal will be 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at its New Life Inn, at 234 W. State St. A worship service will also be held at 10:30 a.m..
- The Springs Church will sponsor its annual “Feast of Plenty” community meal from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Springs Church at 900 Park Ave. in Orange Park.
- Rainbow Thanksgiving hosted by COLORS Jax Resource Center, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday at Trinity Lutheran Church at 1415 McDuff Ave. Those who wish to attend must RSVP here.
Christmas at Mandarin Food Bank
The Mandarin Food Bank’s Christmas giveaway will start at 9 a.m. Dec. 23. That probably will be Arnold’s last time leading the food bank she helped found 34 years ago.
Arnold is retiring, and co-director Mary Kaminski will take the lead.
The Mandarin Food Bank’s office hours are 9 to 11:30 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For information or to make donations, call (904) 292-1675 or go to facebook.com/MandarinFoodBank.
