Help Feed the 305 — Ensuring Food Security in South Dade

Help Feed the 305 is Basic Needs Miami’s flagship food program, dedicated to addressing urgent nutrition needs across South Dade. Every donation provides Basics Bags—shelf-stable, nutritious staples carefully selected to feed households for several days—helping families focus on stability, health, and opportunity without the stress of food insecurity.

Contents Overview

Each Basics Bag contains a variety of nutritious, shelf-stable staples, including rice, pasta, beans, cereal, peanut butter, and other protein and carbohydrate items. These Essentials Bags are designed to support multiple meals for an entire household, ensuring that every family receives meaningful, practical assistance.

Distribution Channels

• We Gotchu – Periodic distributions to teachers and school staff who register for support. Participants are randomly selected and can receive additional distributions after a three-month period.
• Mini Basics – Small, portable kits providing enough food for one to two meals, such as rice and beans or pasta and sauce. Mini Basics are distributed at school and community events, pop-ups, or in response to urgent needs.
• Rapid Response / Micro-Distribution – When extra inventory is available, we notify families in our local Ring neighborhood community via invitation-only postings. Families respond via email to claim a bag, and a date and time are scheduled for pickup.
• Partner Pantries – Full Basics Bags are distributed through schools, churches, and local organizations. Trusted community partners help ensure families and clients in need receive Essentials Bags in a familiar, accessible setting.
• Basics RX – Provides modified Basics Bags tailored for individuals with health-focused or dietary needs, such as low-sodium options or alternative staples for sensitive diets.

Impact Statement

Every Basics Bag provides enough nutritious staples for several days, giving families the resources to focus on stability, health, and daily living without the stress of food insecurity. By supporting Help Feed the 305, Basic Needs Miami provides flexible food support across multiple channels, reaching households, educators, and community members wherever and whenever help is needed.

Baby Basics — Supporting Parents and Infants

Baby Basics is designed to ease the financial pressure on families with infants and young children by providing the essential supplies every parent needs but often struggles to afford. By covering these critical needs, the program ensures that babies are healthy, cared for, and supported during the most important stages of early development.

Contents Overview

Baby Basics Bags include infant formula, diapers, wipes, baby food, and other essentials. These supplies are chosen to reduce financial stress while ensuring children’s well-being.

Distribution Channels

• Partner Sites – Distributed through trusted partners such as schools, clinics, and early childhood centers where families already receive support.
• Community Events / Pop-Ups – Provided at selected community events to reach families who may not have access to regular services.
• Emergency Response – Distributed rapidly during crises or disasters to ensure infants have uninterrupted access to critical care supplies.

Impact Statement

By meeting urgent infant care needs, Baby Basics helps parents focus on nurturing their children without the added worry of affording diapers, wipes, or formula. Every Baby Basics Bag represents a step toward family stability, healthier child development, and stronger community support.

School Basics — Ensuring Stability for Students and Families

School Basics provides essential support for children and their families throughout the school year. By addressing household needs that impact learning, this program helps ensure that students arrive in the classroom ready to succeed.

Contents Overview

School Basics Bags include nutritious food staples, hygiene items, and household essentials that directly support family well-being. These resources complement school meals and relieve parents of the stress of covering basic household gaps during the academic year.

Distribution Channels

• Partner Pantry Model – Distributed through schools and local organizations with referral support from social workers and staff.
• We Gotchu (School Staff Support) – Provides periodic Basics Bags for teachers and school employees who register, acknowledging the vital role educators play in student success.
• Community Events / Back-to-School Drives – Distributed at school-centered events to reach families during high-need times like the start of the school year.

Impact Statement

When families have reliable access to food and essentials, students are more focused, consistent in attendance, and better equipped to succeed academically. School Basics strengthens the link between home and classroom, ensuring that no child’s learning is disrupted by unmet basic needs.

Each month, approved partners receive:

✔ Basic Bags – Prepackaged, non-perishable food items to distribute to your clients as needed to ensure their programmatic success

✔ Add-On Items – Can also be requested, including tailored/special requested items along, baby essentials, school essentials or senior care items, etc.  (All items including Family Meal Bags are  subject to availability).

To ensure effective distribution & impact, partner organizations must:

1. Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or community-based service provider, school, church etc.

2. Provide social services to children, families, seniors and individuals in Miami Dade County.

3. Distribute resources directly to families in their programs to help ensure programmatic success.

4 Submit a brief monthly report detailing the number of individuals served and the impact of the assistance provided.

Click Here: 

Pantry Partner Application

Or Click the Link Below to Connect with Us with Any Questions or for More Information