Coral Springs mother asks city to establish permanent community food pantry after porch initiative draws large crowds
Coral Springs, Florida – A Coral Springs mother is urging city leaders to establish a permanent community food pantry after her small “porch pantry” quickly grew into a vital resource for local families facing food shortages. Lindsay Poveromo-Joly, who started the initiative in early November with her children, shared her story during last week’s city commission meeting, highlighting the unexpected demand and outpouring of community support.
Poveromo-Joly said the idea for the porch pantry began as a response to the temporary nationwide freeze of SNAP benefits, initially intended to help a few nearby families by collecting non-perishable items from friends and neighbors. However, within days, the project expanded far beyond her expectations.
“Three days in a row, we had 80 Amazon boxes arrive, all from strangers in Coral Springs,” Poveromo-Joly told commissioners, describing the flood of donations that filled her living room by the third day. Neighbors lined up outside her home, delivering milk, donuts, and snacks for children before school, while volunteers helped sort items and organize home deliveries for seniors unable to leave their houses.
The rapid response reflected both the urgent need for food support and the community’s willingness to help. Families who had initially planned to stop by for a few items began relying on the pantry as a regular source of groceries. Yet, Poveromo-Joly said, by the second week, donations began to slow, even as demand remained high, prompting her to take her plea to city officials.
During her presentation to the commission, she urged Coral Springs leaders to consider a permanent community pantry model, one that allows families to choose what they need without facing the barriers often found in traditional food banks. “People deserve autonomy over what they eat, and they deserve dignity,” she said, stressing that many children and families struggle with food allergies, feeding disorders, or sensory-based challenges that make standard food offerings inadequate.
Poveromo-Joly also shared deeply emotional stories from the past two weeks, illustrating the real-life impact of her porch pantry. She described residents crying over a simple cup of cereal, children celebrating the arrival of a loaf of bread, grandparents working tirelessly to feed autistic grandchildren, and teen mothers doing their best to provide for their families with limited resources. These personal accounts underscored the gaps in support for families who may not meet conventional food bank requirements or who face obstacles like transportation and limited operating hours.
Despite the challenges, Poveromo-Joly emphasized that Coral Springs residents have already shown their readiness to support such an initiative. “I know firsthand we have the community support and the want from residents to back this project,” she said, urging the city to act.
City commissioners did not provide an immediate response during the meeting, leaving Poveromo-Joly’s proposal open for future discussion. The mother’s message, however, resonated with many in attendance, highlighting both the need for a more flexible, accessible food support system and the potential for the community to come together to meet that need.
Her porch pantry has demonstrated that even a small, grassroots effort can have a big impact when paired with a compassionate community. By calling on the city to create a permanent resource, Poveromo-Joly hopes to ensure that families struggling with food insecurity are no longer left navigating gaps in support alone, and that all residents can access nutritious food in a way that maintains their dignity.
As Coral Springs considers the next steps, the success of the porch pantry serves as a powerful reminder that community-driven initiatives, even from a single front porch, can spark change and meet critical needs in meaningful ways.
