Starting in January 2008, an economic downturn started to grip South Florida.  As the months passed, the global crisis spread, affecting individuals and families throughout our county.  The Federation began to witness a crisis impacting our community as we had never seen in recent memory. As the economy turned sour, we heard stories about the most vulnerable in our community becoming desperate. We learned of increased demands on local agencies and synagogues to provide support for individuals and families in need, which far exceeded the financial resources of each organization, including those already receiving funding from Federation.  more