Facebook company reached out to us not too long ago as a result of they’re so impressed with our energy of positivity messaging, and in flip, how we’ve got made an plain, large-scale, constructive affect on our area people! They wish to spotlight us of their Extra Collectively marketing campaign and supplied to donate $1,000 to the non-profit of our selection. We selected Second Harvest of the Big Bend as a result of a foodies group, of all issues, ought to assist battle starvation. This $1,000 will present 4,000 meals to these in want.
I at all times say, we’re extra than simply phrases, we’re an motion group! We simply gave, and it feels so good, however we’re not accomplished but. Now it’s time to get the phrase out about this wonderful non-profit AND we’d prefer to extremely encourage you all to donate a frozen turkey to their annual seventh Annual Turkey Drive this Thursday, November 12th. Extra on that in only a bit.
When Becca (our Facebook group admin), my mother, and I went to current the verify, we had been warmly greeted by Monique and James who supplied us a shock tour of their wonderful, environment friendly facility and their whole operation was an enormous wow issue. Studying about Second Harvest is one of these moments whenever you understand the absolute energy of what they do and we had been combating again tears on a couple of events. Having little children, I used to be most moved by the bins devoted to child provides and the meals kits given to kids in order that they don’t need to go hungry at dwelling.
The affect Second Harvest has on our neighborhood is immeasurable! Earlier than I get into all of it, I wish to share our two greatest takeaways.
- If somebody you recognize is accumulating meals for Second Harvest, sure, donate what you may have in your pantry, however please don’t exit and buy meals to donate. Please give these funds, regardless of how massive or small, on to Second Harvest as a result of they will take your greenback a lot additional with their buying energy. The $1,000 we donated will provide 4,000 meals, in order that they know precisely methods to stretch these {dollars} to feed extra folks.
- They’re accumulating frozen turkey donations for his or her seventh annual Turkey Drive. I’ll positively be choosing up a turkey very quickly to donate! Throughout the drive, you may donate frozen turkeys or cash to assist make sure that no household in the Big Bend goes with no Thanksgiving meal. On November 12, from 5 a.m. to six:30 p.m., you may drop off your donation at Ponce DeLeon Park (127 E Park Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32301) and Bannerman Crossing (3425 Bannerman Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32312). In case you are unable to donate in particular person, you might make a financial donation at their donation web page.
And now for our tour of what we’ve dubbed, the Costco of meals banks. My phrase, the effectivity of this warehouse is spectacular. From the second meals enters the facility, canned and boxed good are inspected for integrity (ensuring dings in cans haven’t compromised the meals) and something unusable, together with produce, is donated to a neighborhood swine farm. Their FIFO (first in first out) course of is spectacular. All new items go to crates on the high shelf with a fork carry, the product they choose from for filling kits, with the assist of volunteers, is positioned at the backside, and as soon as these are diminished, all crates are moved down a number of cabinets each day with a fork carry all through the whole warehouse.
Second Harvest aids with the catastrophe reduction of northwest Florida and so they have amped up their operations attributable to a rise of meals insecurity associated to the pandemic. Additionally they assist shift provides to neighboring affiliated meals banks when disasters strike – pandemic, fires, hurricanes and extra.
Second Harvest works very intently with Title 1 colleges to make sure kids don’t go hungry (together with kids who’ve chosen to e-learning). The Backpack Program gives kids with a bag of meals every Friday to make sure their dietary wants are met over the weekend. Every meals bag consists of six parts: milk, protein, ready-to-eat, fruit, vegetable and grain, and suits into a baby’s backpack.
Past what we had been capable of study at our tour, right here is the extra affect Second Harvest of the Big Bend has on our neighborhood. Please contact them to study extra, specifically, to study how one can volunteer with their initiatives together with Meals Financial institution Operations, Senior Grocery Program, Little one Diet Applications, Catastrophe Aid, Meals Rescue, Cell Pantry, Lotts Group Backyard, Commodity Supplemental Meals Distribution, and their Emergency Meals & Shelter Program.
We realized so many wonderful info and stats that may merely encourage, and there’s a lot extra to study that could be discovered at their web site – https://fightinghunger.org/.