Florida A&M Opens Campus for COVID Relief

A total of 1,140 of food packages being distributed to those waiting in the car, walking on foot and riding a bike to retrieve their emergency food. (Photo by Nallah Brown)

By Nallah Brown

When the COVID-19 virus struck Tallahassee, Florida, the home of Florida A&M University, the campus community responded with urgent care. 

FAMU invited Second Harvest of the Big Bend to set up emergency food distribution on campus starting April 7 serving 1,140 families. 

On April 25, FAMU’s Bragg Stadium opened its gates to serve as a free COVID-19 testing site. The site, open 9 a.m Monday through Saturday, conducts up to 500 tests per day. No physician referral or appointment is required. 

“It’s proven to be a valuable community resource,” said FAMU Student Health Service director, Tanya Tatum. “We started with an understanding of being open for two weeks and have grown from there.” 

The site has conducted tests for more than 27,000 people.

The emergency food distribution is part of the nonprofitÕs initiative to support community members who are suffering from food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Nallah Brown)
Traffic fills the parking lot of Bragg Stadium to await their turn to pick up food supplies from Second Harvest of the Big Bend on April 7, 2020. (Photo by Nallah Brown)
Nurses getting suited in preparation to conduct COVID-19 test on members of the Tallahassee community in Bragg Stadium on June 11, 2020 (Photo by Nallah Brown)
Tanya Tatum (left), director of FAMU Student Health Services serves as the logistics coordinator for all staff and volunteer members on the COVID-19 team the day of June 11, 2020 (Photo by Nallah Brown)
People wait in line for the first day of free COVID-19 testing at Bragg Memorial Stadium on April 25, 2020. (Photo by Nallah Brown)
Volunteers of the Big Bend direct lines of cars to receive their free food. (Photo by Nallah Brown)
Two volunteers of the Big Bend prepare packages of food supplies to hand out to members of the community. (Photo by Nallah Brown)
A community member pulls up to take his turn in receiving food from the Second Harvest of Big Bend. (Photo by Nallah Brown)
Volunteers of the Big Bend are fully equipped to practice responsible social distancing with gloves and face masks. (Photo by Nallah Brown)

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.