KAUFMAN SEEKS $40,000 CITY EMERGENCY AID FOR FOOD PANTRIES AMID SHUTDOWN IMPACT

City Commissioner Sam Kaufman calls for immediate funding to help local nonprofits meet rising food insecurity needs fueled by the federal government shutdown.

City Commissioner Sam Kaufman is calling on the City of Key West to provide $40,000 in emergency funding to local food pantries to address rising food insecurity amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.

In an email sent Tuesday afternoon to City Attorney Mayanne Downs and City Clerk Keri O’Brien, Kaufman requested that a resolution be placed on the Dec. 2 City Commission agenda directing city funds to support several nonprofit partners providing food assistance throughout the Lower Keys.

“Recent updates from our local nonprofit partners underscore the urgency,” Kaufman wrote. “The Loaves and Fish Food Pantry has reported a 30 percent increase in clients, with many being new families seeking assistance for the first time.”

Kaufman said Loaves and Fish’s operating costs have increased by about $5,000 per month, and other local programs — including Cooking with Love, Star of the Sea Foundation, and the Bahama Village Little Food Pantry — are also facing unprecedented demand.

Kaufman’s proposal would allocate $40,000 in city emergency relief funds to bolster those organizations’ efforts “to ensure residents have consistent access to food during this challenging time.” He also suggested that Monroe County be asked to match the city’s contribution.

The measure, if approved for the December agenda, would mark one of the city’s first direct emergency appropriations related to the government shutdown’s ripple effects on working families and federal employees in the Keys.

In addition, if you would like to help, you can contact Loaves and Fish, Cooking with Love, Star of the Sea Foundation or the Bahama Village Little Food Pantry by clicking on the highlighted links.