Cape Coral residents can participate within the nation’s largest meals drive subsequent weekend, with donated items staying proper right here in Southwest Florida.
On Might 10, america Postal Service will accumulate non-perishable meals objects at mailboxes, the place letter carriers or volunteer drivers will decide up the meals and ship it to the native put up workplace as a part of the Stamp Out Starvation Meals Drive. From there, volunteers will unload and pre-sort donations for supply to native meals pantries.
Domestically the Harry Chapin Food Bank, the Midwest Food Bank, in addition to different meals banks and their accomplice companies will accumulate and ship the meals to our neighbors in want.
Doug Fairleigh is the Cape Coral volunteer driver coordinator for the meals drive, and stated the previous few years, donations haven’t reached numbers they’ve seen is the previous.
“USPS has been doing this for over 30 years,” he stated. “Whereas it’s nationwide, many areas of the nation don’t take part for logistical causes. The meals drive right here advantages the five-county area of Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, and Hendry. All meals donated stays within the space to assist native households. This can be a essential time of 12 months to assist out. With college out for the summer time, children gained’t have their college lunch packages. With the sluggish season upon us, dad and mom within the service trade, small companies, etcetera, gained’t have the ‘seasonal’ revenue that they could have had when it was busier. Coupled with the upper prices of dwelling it’s getting very tough to make ends meet for approach too a lot of our neighbors.”
In keeping with HCFB, one in eight persons are meals insecure within the area, together with one in six kids. Greater than 50% of seniors have to decide on every month whether or not to purchase meals, medication, or different requirements with their restricted incomes. Households battle 12 months ’spherical, however with the “sluggish season” and youngsters out of college, the necessity is even higher now.
“Harry Chapin Meals Financial institution and Midwest Meals Financial institution are invaluable sources,” Fairleigh stated. “Collectively they provide thousands and thousands of kilos of meals annually to households within the five-county area both instantly, or by their tons of of accomplice companies. I’ve had the distinction of serving to distribute meals at HCFB’s native meals pantries.”
Each week, at each location, HCFB arms out meat, produce, non-perishable items to tons of of households.
“What breaks your coronary heart is once you run out as a result of donations have been low and there are nonetheless dozens of individuals in line,” Fairleigh stated. “We have now to discover a option to repair that. I bear in mind the meals drive of 2009. We had been within the midst of the Nice Recession and folks had misplaced 1000’s. We had been anticipating a bleak 12 months. What I discovered most heartening was that the central Cape Coral space, the place a lot of the authentic or earlier houses are situated, had been the biggest givers. Some houses had a number of containers of meals by their mailbox, it was wonderful.
“Each time I’ve defined how a neighbor, who appears and acts and clothes similar to them, may very well be the one in want of some meals help, they nearly all the time supply to assist in no matter approach they can. We’re surrounded by actually ‘good’ individuals, they simply must know the way they may also help. On Might 10, they will discover out.”
In 2024, HCFB distributed almost 40 million kilos of meals by its 175 accomplice companies, together with 18.4 million in Lee County. Volunteers supplied 79,000 hours of service.
Harry Chapin Meals Financial institution, Midwest Meals Financial institution, and United Approach are in search of volunteer sorters and drivers. Sign up with Midwest Food Bank at both the Tice or North Fort Myers Submit Workplace areas. Enroll with Harry Chapin Food Bank, click on on “Volunteer” after which “Volunteer as an Particular person.” Be a volunteer driver to pick-up food across the space, click on on “Volunteer”. From the Volunteer Middle search and join the “Stamp Out Starvation” meals drive.
