Notes from Harry
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L E B R AT I N C E G Notes from Harry Notes from Harry 35 YEYEAR S & BEYOND Winter Newsletter 2019 | Vol. XIX, No. 1 Serving Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties Introducing Matching grant helps nourish the Hero of the Year senior food program Harry Chapin Food Bank’s effort to feed The program costs $1.1 seniors in need is going strong, and we seek million to operate. We A donation YOU! your help to keep it that way. are grateful that, for of $500 The Harry Chapin The Care & Share: Senior Feeding Campaign the second consecutive can feed a Food Bank was began 18 months ago to supplement year, a grant from the senior for a notified in December the diets of low-income seniors in Lee, Richard M. Schulze year. that we are a finalist Charlotte and Collier counties. The program Family Foundation will for the Hero of the has grown to serve 2,350 seniors, with match up to $300,000 Year Award, given more than 600 on a waitlist. in donations to the annually by The Harry Chapin food bank They are on fixed incomes, often making News-Press. We when donors designate the difficult choices of whether to pay rent are honored to be their gifts to our Care & Share: Senior and other bills or buy food or the medicine nominated with two other Feeding Campaign. The food bank’s goal is they need to stay healthy. worthy finalists. The winner will be to fulfill the match by June 30. announced Feb. 22. Seniors age 60 and over who qualify receive food “kits” containing canned fruits But we also know that whether or not we receive this award, the real and vegetables, protein, grains, cereal and heroes are you, our donors. Your other food each month. When possible, support, whether it’s making a the food bank will also provide bread, financial donation, volunteering, or produce and frozen meat to clients. holding food drives, is the force that The program helps powers any action the food bank clients like Grace (left) of takes and any accomplishment we Fort Myers, who retired achieve. after working 25 years There is no distributing 24 million for a medical supplies company. She said she pounds a year to people in need - note from a senior client in Southwest Florida, no serving also delivered Care & hungry seniors and children, Share kits to two elderly neighbors who ................................................ no emergency mobile pantries were without transportation. “We are there for one another. I’m thankful for this This Issue providing relief in crises like 2 Major milestone hurricanes or toxic red tide, no program.” Collier County Center anniversary celebrating our 35th anniversary and The food comes in 3 the distribution of our 200 millionth bags that are often 4 In-school pantry update pound of food, without you. decorated by those 6 Erik Hoffer opinion A hero is someone who cares about who participate in 7 Volunteers the welfare of his or her neighbors, our Family Volunteer has the courage to step up and do Day, members of a the right thing, and is seen as a role local art club, or school model for the actions of others. children. Seniors who Thank you for being our heroes. receive them enjoy the messages they convey. State of the food bank Our mission is to lead our community in the fight to end hunger. ........................................................................................................................ Major milestone The Harry Chapin Food Bank celebrated a huge milestone in November – the distribution of our 200 millionth pound Richard LeBer of food to feed our neighbors in need Harry Chapin Food Bank in Southwest Florida. President & CEO Welcome to 2019! For those of you who are seasonal every independent organization in residents of Southwest Florida, Southwest Florida feeding the hungry welcome back to our little slice of – over 150 of them at last count. paradise! We hope you will join us and our At the Harry Chapin Food Bank, other friends at the WINK Feeds we are determined to help our Families Hunger Walk, our largest community thrive by helping people, fundraiser. It’s a great opportunity The food bank marked the occasion in the face of life’s emergencies. We to support the food bank, catch up by holding two special mobile food help hungry kids whose parents may with friends and supporters and pantries, one in Lee County and one have become ill or lost a job. We help have a lot of fun. We are so grateful in Collier County, on the first Tuesday seniors struggling with skyrocketing to our generous sponsors who make after Thanksgiving, also known as medical costs. We make our it possible. Come on out; you won’t “Giving Tuesday.” community stronger by helping them want to miss it! The food bank began in 1983 as a tiny back to their feet. Thanks as always for your support. grassroots food cooperative. It took us That keeps us busy. Our trucks are 31 years to get to 100 million pounds of at 30 mobile pantries every month. food distribution in 2014, and only four We operate nine pantries in schools. more years to reach 200 million. We are serving over 3,500 seniors The milestone is even more significant every month through our two when you consider that it was reached senior food kit programs. We are in the Harry Chapin Food Bank’s 35th the major food source for just about anniversary year. Drumstick roll, please Thanks to all of you, we surpassed our Publix Super Markets. Publix also took goal in our 2018 Thanksgiving turkey donations from their customers and drive. We wound up with about 3,250 provided 31,118 pounds of prepared turkeys. The goal was 3,000. Morgan & meals for our partner agencies. We are Morgan donated 58 turkeys and checks grateful to our community for helping totaling $10,395. More than 300 turkeys our clients have a Happy Thanksgiving. were donated at the last minute by Photo: L-R, Jim Hutchinson, accounting staff; Richard LeBer, food bank president and CEO; Joe Linnehan, attorney; Jason Gelinas, attorney; Lauren Hutchinson, accounting manager; Emily Ruiz and Yesenia Rodriguez, accounting staff. 2 Monthly giving is a great way to support the food bank! Our vision is that no one has to go hungry in our community. Collier County Collier center celebrates first anniversary The Harry Chapin Food Bank knew the food bank expand its services Lynn sees it in his volunteer work, there was lots of potential for growth throughout Collier County, LeBer said. especially at the food bank’s mobile and community engagement in Collier John Lynn, a Naples volunteer who has pantries. “A lot of the people are really County. logged 817 hours in about 1 ½ years working poor. It’s not that they’re Now we’re starting to realize that of volunteering, believes that the new not trying. They come up to mobile potential, and there’s no telling how far center has raised awareness. “A lot pantries, a lot of them on the way back we can go. more people know we’re here,” he said. from work.” The food bank’s Collier County Center, For some, it’s hard to understand that The Harry Chapin Food Bank has 35 at 3940 Prospect Ave., is just over a hunger exists in the Naples area, known partner agencies in Collier County year old. The center has succeeded in as one of the wealthiest cities in the and also operates our mobile pantry offering more room for food donations, United States. But in Collier County, program, called Fulfill. A total of 5.1 volunteer opportunities and meeting 36,640 people are food insecure, which million pounds of food was distributed space for community organizations and means they may not know where their in Collier County in the last fiscal year. nonprofits. next meal is coming from. This includes The Collier County Center, opened in 12,420 children. October 2017, is a complement to the Harry Chapin Food Bank’s Fort Myers Distribution Center at 3760 Fowler St. Before and after photos of the warehouse at the Collier County Center At 13,500 square feet, it quadruples the space where the food bank previously operated in Collier County. “The food bank had already been a significant part of the Collier County nonprofit network for 20 years, but the Collier County Center has helped raise and reinforce our profile,” said Richard LeBer, food bank president and CEO. The center has helped build closer connections and is continuing to help ................................................................................................................................................ Grants move food bank’s mission forward Receiving grants is vital to the Harry County food distribution Back for mobile pantries held in East Chapin Food Bank’s mission to lead our • $7,000 from St. John’s Episcopal Naples community in the fight to end hunger. Church in Naples for the Care & • We also received a new truck in Here are some of the grants we’ve Share program December. The refrigerated received in the last several months, • $5,000 from the Cape Coral truck, funded with a $150,000 along with the programs, improvements Community Foundation for the Care grant from Publix, is the 19th truck or activities they will help fund: & Share program in our fleet. • $50,000 from Arthrex for the Care & • $107,578 from Jane’s Trust for We are grateful for the support of our Share: Senior Feeding Campaign refrigerator expansion generous donors. • $15,000 from Mosaic for Charlotte • $12,000 from Windstar Gives Remember us in your . estate planning 3 In-school pantries Feeding young bodies so young minds can learn When hungry children go to school, they lunches because of their families’ low Parkside has many families who depend are at a double disadvantage, physically income.