Cape Coral parish food distribution helping those in need

The City of Cape Coral, like so much of Southwest Florida, was pummeled by Hurricane Ian. So, to help residents, the city is providing free water, tarps, and charging stations at different locations in Cape Coral.

Food stacked high and helpful hands to distribute them to those in need packed Cape Vineyard Community Church on Sunday. The local parish known for its food pantry offerings will normally host this type of event once a week, but, after Ian, they’ve opened sooner than usual.

Kim and Jaimie Stilson are pastors at the Cape Vineyard Community Church and shared some words with WINK News.

“It’s kind of like a hub, ground zero, and there’s so many needs showing up and their stories are just unbelievable,” Stilson said. “Been under the water, fridgerators on top of them, rescue, just really hard stuff.”

In an effort to keep everyone’s mind off the struggles, they all received a hot meal with the chance to grab as much food as they needed.

Jose Estrella and his wife were just one of the many who came seeking the community aspect at the food distribution site. They explained to WINK News they were one of the lucky ones. Their home in Cape Coral sustained only minor damage so they turned out to pick up supplies they’ll be delivering to those who weren’t as lucky.

“Everybody here is going through the same thing in different degrees. There’s people that lost everything, there’s people that lost a little bit, and then there’s people that came out unscathed and we all need to do our part to help anybody in need,” Estrella said.

The local parish plans to expand its efforts further than just its Cape Coral location.

“We’re gonna go mobile,” Jamie said. “We wanna you know when Fort Myers Beach opens up, Pine Island opens up, we wanna be able to stack that truck up and get it to people,” Kim said.

If you need food or if you would like to volunteer your time, the pantry will be open all this week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And, all you have to do is call 311 for more information about the resources available. There are a lot of places still offering free food just like the vineyard, no questions asked.