Thousands of bottles of mosquito repellent distributed in WPB
Feeding Palm Beach County hands out 25,000 bottles of repellent
By Stephanie Berzinski
Morning anchor Stephanie Berzinski explains which nonprofit is helping to combat the spread of the Zika virus.
Feeding Palm Beach County, a branch of Feeding South Florida, is not only helping to end hunger, but also focused on the community’s overall health.
“We have a luxury that our families really cannot afford. We have a lot of great mosquito repellent so we can get our families protected and our children protected to not only live, but also play in the community without the fear of getting infected,” Paco Velez, president & CEO of Feeding South Florida, said.
There are more than 200 reported cases of the Zika virus across South Florida and for many, spending an extra $5 to $10 on mosquito repellent to protect their families just isn’t in the budget.
“I appreciate it because we really need it. The mosquitoes are really bad this time of year so that was a good idea. I really appreciate what they’re doing for the community,” Alvin Martin, a West Palm Beach resident, said.
That’s why Feeding South Florida is stepping in to help, distributing more than 51,000 bottles of mosquito repellent within three South Florida counties. Nearly half of it was handed out in Palm Beach County.
“We’ve been distributing in Miami-Dade, Broward and now Palm Beach County and we’re going to continue distributing until we get our families protected,” Velez said.
Cars lined up outside the Village Baptist Church in West Palm Beach Monday morning with recipients getting not only mosquito spray, but also taking home much needed non-perishable food items.
“A lot of great food that our families are able to take back, put in their pantry, prepare and then put on their table,” Velez said.
“It is well needed and will be real deserved. We will use it. We will use it,” Martin added.
Feeding South Florida is expecting a second shipment of mosquito repellent in about three weeks.
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