Started in 1985, Pass it On Ministries is Miami-Dade County's only all volunteer-run food pantry. As a non-denominational, interfaith ministry, the organization distributes food, clothing and other items to needy individuals and families in Miami-Dade County (mostly in the county's north end). Last year, more than 60 full and part-time volunteers served 6,505 individuals, many of whom were children and most of whom were low income and minority, averaging anywhere from 400 to 700 clients monthly. Sadly, the need for our services is growing steadily, particularly with the economy still being relatively flat and given that there are about 1,850 homeless people in the city of Miami, and about 4,500 countywide.

As a provider of emergency food, Pass it On Ministries occupies a vital social service niche. Many people in need unfortunately wait too long to ask for assistance from community agencies. When they finally do seek relief, it quickly becomes apparent that welfare, food stamps, emergency shelter, and other entitlement programs take time to access.

We are able to provide food when the need is acute, quickly and without bureaucracy. The organization is not an ongoing source of food but rather provides aid when there is an emergency. As an individual or family's situation stabilizes, there is then the opportunity to access other, long-term sources to fulfill basic needs. We only accept clients who are referred from established agencies, and we work in coordination with those agencies in making referrals to other service providers.

Though Pass it On Ministries solicits, accepts, and uses donations of food, it must purchase most of the food it distributes. The reason is that donated food is unpredictable in terms of availability, variety, and quality. Additionally, our capacity to store and refrigerate large quantities of food is limited. We need the ability to assemble food packages every day that contain a balanced variety of nutritious foods.