A kosher food bank in Dania Beach, Florida was shut down without warning on Wednesday.
According to Local10, cars were pulling in and out all day on Wednesday intending to access the food distribution center but were surprised that it was closed.
The clients were upset that instead of being given food for their families they received an explanation on a slip of paper that the site had been shut down by the city over traffic concerns.
The food bank has been run through the Florida Department of Agriculture since June 2020. The center distributes kosher food throughout Florida, and had been offering free meals to families in need.
The organizer of the food bank, Dovi Katz, told Local10 that he serves 1,500 families and 4,000 children a week.
The Dania Beach food bank location had been operating since October 2021.
Last week, Dania Beach officials sent them a notice: “Your special event application will be revoked immediately due to life safety and traffic concerns expressed by the Broward Sheriff’s office.”
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the city of Dania Beach was the one that revoked the permit. They said they issue was not their jurisdiction and they could not do anything about it. But the food bank argues that this is not the case, and that the sheriff’s office had their permit revoked.
The sheriff’s office also told the news outlet that there had been complaints from residents on the street about traffic.
“We are working to find a new location, but we plead with the Broward Sheriff to give us a week or two or three to get our new location set up,” Katz said.