Second Harvest North Florida 1502 Jessie Street Jacksonville, FL 32206 WeNourishHope.org twitter.com/wenourishhope facebook.com/wenourishhope
Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Jacksonville, FL Permit No. 1610
Second Harvest North Florida October 2010 WeNourishHope.org
Food Matters ‘Hunger Caravan’ serves rural Florida people in need All of us have felt the negative effects of the recession, but the blow is felt harder in communities where there are fewer job opportunities and fewer resources for people to rely on for help. Unemployment is reaching as high as 20 percent in some of the rural areas of north Florida, and the few agencies that provide food in these counties have been taxed beyond their ability to serve.
The mission of Second Harvest North Florida is to distribute food and grocery products to hungry people and to educate the public about the causes and possible solutions to problems of domestic hunger.
26th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon One in six adults and one in five children in north Florida are hungry, not just with growling stomachs until their next meal, but hungry because they have no money to buy food or means to get food. The Empty Bowls Luncheon has grown over the years because so many individuals and businesses in Jacksonville have taken the opportunity on this one day to reach out to those who need help. Proceeds from the event will enable Second Harvest North Florida to provide nutritious, healthy food and education to our neighbors who are not able to provide for themselves. Join over 1,500 other attendees on this one day to hear firsthand testimonies about hunger in our community, be served a simple soup and bread lunch from local celebrities and take away a handmade “empty bowl” as a token of our appreciation and as a constant reminder that there are thousands who are hungry in our community every day. Make it an outing for friends and work colleagues. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at WeNourishHope.org or by calling 904.739.7074. Table and event sponsorships are also available. Tuesday, Nov. 16 at Prime Osborn Convention Center Doors open at 11:15 a.m. Program is from 12 to 1 p.m.
“Elderly people weren’t getting their meds because they had to choose between meds and food.”
In response to this emergency situation, Second Harvest North Florida reacted with an urgent relief program called the “Hunger Caravan”. Over a period of seven weeks, we mobilized a traveling food distribution team that brought food to over 3,000 people in need. Lawrence in Alachua County was grateful for the food he received. “I haven’t had any work in six months. The only work I get is from people who know me and need some work on their vehicles,” Lawrence said. When asked what the food distribution meant for him, he replied, “It means everything right now. These people are great. They have really blessed us by coming here.” Between Aug. 17 and Oct. 7, the Hunger Caravan traveled to Alachua, Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Columbia and Suwannee counties to work with local agencies who have been trying to keep up with the need.
Pastor Ed Steves from Faith Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs has been feeling the pressure of keeping up with a growing demand for food. “We’ve been feeding 2,000 people a month for the last four to five months,” he said. “Elderly people weren’t getting their meds because they had to choose between meds and food. Now they can get their meds because we’re giving them enough food to get through the month.” Another volunteer working with Journey Church in Nassau County had this to say about the impact of the recession on her neighbors, “I deliver food to the people who can’t get out and stand in lines like these,” she said. “I see how it touches their hearts. I see the empty refrigerators and I know that lots of times it’s the last piece of bread in the cupboard.” Another woman who came for food summed up her feelings about the Hunger Caravan in this way, “The Lord took one loaf of bread and fed a lot of people.
That’s how I see what you’re doing here today. It’s going to help a lot of people in the community that need the help.”
E STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN “WE NOTSTRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN N NCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME.” “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOOD BANK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOWN. CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME.” “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOOD BANK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOW E DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “WE STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY WEARE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “WE STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY A ILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME. “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE CHILDREN FOOD AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME. “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOO NK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOWN. WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “EVERY MONTH A CHURCH, AFFILIATED WITH YOU ALL, BRINGS ME PLENTY OF FOOD. I COULD NEVER SHOW HOW MUCHBANK], IT IS ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOWN. WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “EVERY MONTH A CHURCH, AFFILIATED WITH YOU ALL, BRINGS ME PLENTY OF FOOD. I COULD NEVER SHOW HOW MUCH IT
Letter from the executive director
How you can help
Church distributes food with dignity
In this edition you will read about one of our volunteers who was once a
November and December are undeniably the busiest time of the year at Second Harvest North Florida. This is an especially active time when churches, businesses, schools and individuals organize food drives to help ensure that no family in our community is hungry over the holidays. Generosity abounds during the season of giving and Second Harvest is always the recipient of thousands of pounds of donated food.
On every Tuesday and Thursday at the Household of Faith Church, hundreds of families receive food along with words of encouragement and motivation to help them make it through these rough times.
recipient of food support from our agency. He’s now volunteering with us, assisting those who will be, would be and might be in the same place as his family was just a short time ago. Similar to this story is an experience I had at the recent Be a Hero food drive held by First Coast News, during which a person, who wanted to remain anonymous, actually returned some of the emergency food she’d received, because her circumstances had altered enough that she did not need food support. Her concern, she said, was that
This generous outpouring from the community brings with it a critical need for volunteers to help sort the food and pack
someone else might need it more than her family. No matter how often I experience this, I am always taken aback by it, but also emboldened. The quality of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me.
Larry Burton, a volunteer who has become known as “The Food Man” to hundreds of people in the community, believes that it is vital that the hungry people who turn to them must be served with dignity. “People begin lining up at four in the morning,” he said. “When I arrive at 6 a.m., there are already 30 to 40 people standing in line for the 10 a.m. distribution.” Not wanting people to stand in line for five or six hours, Larry suggested that they open the church hall and let everyone take a number for their place in line as they arrive. At eight each morning he takes up a microphone and works the crowd. “We play games and laugh, and I try to encourage and motivate them to keep their faith that things will get better,” Larry said. “I don’t want them to feel embarrassed or ashamed that they need some help. I want them to feel loved and welcome to come back again.”
“These are hardworking people, not the homeless”
The Household of Faith has been distributing food to families in need for over a decade, but their ministry took on a whole new life a few months ago when Second Harvest North Florida began delivering food through our new mobile food pantry program.
All too often the story that surrounds folks who “We used to serve about 50 families a week with food donated by members of our church and others in the community,” Deacon Caldwell said. “With Second Harvest sending a truckload of food every Tuesday and Thursday, we are now feeding five to six hundred families every week. The need in the community is shocking.”
need emergency services suggests they are shiftless, lazy and makers of poor choices. I have found, in fact, that this is most often the exact opposite of the truth. I wonder how many people know that those earning the lowest incomes in the United States give the greatest percentage of their wealth to charities,
“These are hardworking people, not the homeless,” Larry Burton said. “They are people who have lost jobs or income, or live on a fixed income. I was here a couple years ago when I lost my job, but I’m back on my feet and now I can help.”
or that these same folks give the largest number of volunteer hours to their church, community or cause. What these folks have learned is that we are all subject to the human condition and our response to it is what shapes our
family boxes. “Holiday donations are already coming in daily,” said Leah Bezares, volunteer coordinator for Second Harvest.
“We never know what is going to be on the truck,” Deacon Caldwell said. “But it is always plentiful and very much appreciated.”
Volunteers are especially needed during the week. “I have large groups scheduled already to come in every Saturday for the next couple of months,” Leah said. “People who can come in Monday through Friday are those most needed right now.”
A special internship produces life-changing results
lives. Anyone who has ever been hungry for a meal, a day, or a time will never forget that condition, and more often than not, will do whatever he or she can to help a fellow sufferer. I am reminded of the phrase, “What goes around comes around.” Often we apply it, a bit too gleefully perhaps, to those we feel got their just desserts (pun intended). The phrase, though, works even better in the positive, for when we offer something good, it, too, comes back around. At Second Harvest we are in the recycling business, always of food, but often of souls. Best regards,
Thomas Mantz Executive Director, Second Harvest North Florida
If you can find even an hour to help out during the week between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., contact Leah at 904.517.5550 or LBezares@WeNourishHope.org. “The work is very straightforward,” Leah said. “I can provide on-the-spot training and have someone productive in just a few minutes.” Tony Bryant’s family has needed emergency food support in the past and now he makes his mother proud by volunteering three days a week after school. “Volunteering here is helping me get work experience so I can get a job,” Tony says. “And, it gets me away from my three sisters at home!”
Jennifer Goodban’s internship had a very personal meaning. She is pursuing her master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics at the University of North Florida and needed an internship to fulfill her community involvement rotation. Second Harvest North Florida offered the perfect opportunity. “I was a child of a single mother who did the best she could on very little,” Jennifer said. “We were hungry and didn’t have enough nutritious food. She bought what was cheapest and that was mostly starchy, unhealthy food so I was overweight. Nothing in my home resembled the five basic food groups. When there was food, we ate it because we were hungry, so we regularly
ran out of food until Mom got paid again. Then the cycle would start all over again.” During her internship, Jennifer created a training curriculum for agencies that receive food from Second Harvest to help them package nutritionally balanced family food boxes and educate their food clients about healthy eating. The kit contains a scripted 30-minute presentation and handouts that clients can take home to help them practice what they have learned. There are tips for shopping on a budget, recipes using ingredients regularly available from Second Harvest and a refrigerator postcard to serve as
a constant reminder. “The solution starts with education,” Jennifer said. “A lot of people with whom dieticians work are underserved and many are malnourished. They need nutritious food but also knowledge about being healthy in order to change their lives.” Jennifer’s kit is being distributed to all member agencies and they are being encouraged to share this information with their staffs and clients. “We want to continue to enhance this program,” said Jim Chynoweth, director of agencies and distribution for Second Harvest. “It is the first in a series of educational programs designed to get to the core of the problem – educating the communities across the 18 counties we serve about being healthier through better nutrition.” For more information call 904.517.5553 or go to WeNourishHope.org.
E STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME.” “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOOD BANK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOW E DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “WE STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME. “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FO NK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOWN. WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “EVERY MONTH A CHURCH, AFFILIATED WITH YOU ALL, BRINGS ME PLENTY OF FOOD. I COULD NEVER SHOW HOW MUCH IT IS APPRECIATED.” “BY THE TIME I PAY BILLS, GET GAS, DIAPERS AND WIPES AND GET BACK AND FORTH TO JACKSONVILLE, I AM OUT OF FUNDS AND STILL HAVE TWO WEEKS LEFT WITH NO FUNDS OR MONEY. THE FOO NK IS A LIFESAVER.” “HAVE TO EAT MOST MEALS WITHOUT MEAT, BUT I THANK GOD FOR WHAT WE DO HAVE AND GET.”“I’VE NEVER HAD TO DO THIS BEFORE. BUT GOD BLESS PEOPLE LIKE YOU.” “YOUR PROGRAM IS A GREAT HELP TO MY FAMILY AND OUR COMMUNITY.” “SOMETIMES IT’S TRULY HARD OUT HERE TODAY BEING A SINGLE PARENT. I TRULY THANK YOU FOR THIS FOOD BANK.” “I LIVE IN MY VAN. I HAVE NO MEDIC E STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME.” “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOOD BANK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOW
Letter from the executive director
How you can help
Church distributes food with dignity
In this edition you will read about one of our volunteers who was once a
November and December are undeniably the busiest time of the year at Second Harvest North Florida. This is an especially active time when churches, businesses, schools and individuals organize food drives to help ensure that no family in our community is hungry over the holidays. Generosity abounds during the season of giving and Second Harvest is always the recipient of thousands of pounds of donated food.
On every Tuesday and Thursday at the Household of Faith Church, hundreds of families receive food along with words of encouragement and motivation to help them make it through these rough times.
recipient of food support from our agency. He’s now volunteering with us, assisting those who will be, would be and might be in the same place as his family was just a short time ago. Similar to this story is an experience I had at the recent Be a Hero food drive held by First Coast News, during which a person, who wanted to remain anonymous, actually returned some of the emergency food she’d received, because her circumstances had altered enough that she did not need food support. Her concern, she said, was that
This generous outpouring from the community brings with it a critical need for volunteers to help sort the food and pack
someone else might need it more than her family. No matter how often I experience this, I am always taken aback by it, but also emboldened. The quality of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me.
Larry Burton, a volunteer who has become known as “The Food Man” to hundreds of people in the community, believes that it is vital that the hungry people who turn to them must be served with dignity. “People begin lining up at four in the morning,” he said. “When I arrive at 6 a.m., there are already 30 to 40 people standing in line for the 10 a.m. distribution.” Not wanting people to stand in line for five or six hours, Larry suggested that they open the church hall and let everyone take a number for their place in line as they arrive. At eight each morning he takes up a microphone and works the crowd. “We play games and laugh, and I try to encourage and motivate them to keep their faith that things will get better,” Larry said. “I don’t want them to feel embarrassed or ashamed that they need some help. I want them to feel loved and welcome to come back again.”
“These are hardworking people, not the homeless”
The Household of Faith has been distributing food to families in need for over a decade, but their ministry took on a whole new life a few months ago when Second Harvest North Florida began delivering food through our new mobile food pantry program.
All too often the story that surrounds folks who “We used to serve about 50 families a week with food donated by members of our church and others in the community,” Deacon Caldwell said. “With Second Harvest sending a truckload of food every Tuesday and Thursday, we are now feeding five to six hundred families every week. The need in the community is shocking.”
need emergency services suggests they are shiftless, lazy and makers of poor choices. I have found, in fact, that this is most often the exact opposite of the truth. I wonder how many people know that those earning the lowest incomes in the United States give the greatest percentage of their wealth to charities,
“These are hardworking people, not the homeless,” Larry Burton said. “They are people who have lost jobs or income, or live on a fixed income. I was here a couple years ago when I lost my job, but I’m back on my feet and now I can help.”
or that these same folks give the largest number of volunteer hours to their church, community or cause. What these folks have learned is that we are all subject to the human condition and our response to it is what shapes our
family boxes. “Holiday donations are already coming in daily,” said Leah Bezares, volunteer coordinator for Second Harvest.
“We never know what is going to be on the truck,” Deacon Caldwell said. “But it is always plentiful and very much appreciated.”
Volunteers are especially needed during the week. “I have large groups scheduled already to come in every Saturday for the next couple of months,” Leah said. “People who can come in Monday through Friday are those most needed right now.”
A special internship produces life-changing results
lives. Anyone who has ever been hungry for a meal, a day, or a time will never forget that condition, and more often than not, will do whatever he or she can to help a fellow sufferer. I am reminded of the phrase, “What goes around comes around.” Often we apply it, a bit too gleefully perhaps, to those we feel got their just desserts (pun intended). The phrase, though, works even better in the positive, for when we offer something good, it, too, comes back around. At Second Harvest we are in the recycling business, always of food, but often of souls. Best regards,
Thomas Mantz Executive Director, Second Harvest North Florida
If you can find even an hour to help out during the week between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., contact Leah at 904.517.5550 or LBezares@WeNourishHope.org. “The work is very straightforward,” Leah said. “I can provide on-the-spot training and have someone productive in just a few minutes.” Tony Bryant’s family has needed emergency food support in the past and now he makes his mother proud by volunteering three days a week after school. “Volunteering here is helping me get work experience so I can get a job,” Tony says. “And, it gets me away from my three sisters at home!”
Jennifer Goodban’s internship had a very personal meaning. She is pursuing her master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics at the University of North Florida and needed an internship to fulfill her community involvement rotation. Second Harvest North Florida offered the perfect opportunity. “I was a child of a single mother who did the best she could on very little,” Jennifer said. “We were hungry and didn’t have enough nutritious food. She bought what was cheapest and that was mostly starchy, unhealthy food so I was overweight. Nothing in my home resembled the five basic food groups. When there was food, we ate it because we were hungry, so we regularly
ran out of food until Mom got paid again. Then the cycle would start all over again.” During her internship, Jennifer created a training curriculum for agencies that receive food from Second Harvest to help them package nutritionally balanced family food boxes and educate their food clients about healthy eating. The kit contains a scripted 30-minute presentation and handouts that clients can take home to help them practice what they have learned. There are tips for shopping on a budget, recipes using ingredients regularly available from Second Harvest and a refrigerator postcard to serve as
a constant reminder. “The solution starts with education,” Jennifer said. “A lot of people with whom dieticians work are underserved and many are malnourished. They need nutritious food but also knowledge about being healthy in order to change their lives.” Jennifer’s kit is being distributed to all member agencies and they are being encouraged to share this information with their staffs and clients. “We want to continue to enhance this program,” said Jim Chynoweth, director of agencies and distribution for Second Harvest. “It is the first in a series of educational programs designed to get to the core of the problem – educating the communities across the 18 counties we serve about being healthier through better nutrition.” For more information call 904.517.5553 or go to WeNourishHope.org.
E STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME.” “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOOD BANK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOW E DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “WE STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME. “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FO NK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOWN. WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “EVERY MONTH A CHURCH, AFFILIATED WITH YOU ALL, BRINGS ME PLENTY OF FOOD. I COULD NEVER SHOW HOW MUCH IT IS APPRECIATED.” “BY THE TIME I PAY BILLS, GET GAS, DIAPERS AND WIPES AND GET BACK AND FORTH TO JACKSONVILLE, I AM OUT OF FUNDS AND STILL HAVE TWO WEEKS LEFT WITH NO FUNDS OR MONEY. THE FOO NK IS A LIFESAVER.” “HAVE TO EAT MOST MEALS WITHOUT MEAT, BUT I THANK GOD FOR WHAT WE DO HAVE AND GET.”“I’VE NEVER HAD TO DO THIS BEFORE. BUT GOD BLESS PEOPLE LIKE YOU.” “YOUR PROGRAM IS A GREAT HELP TO MY FAMILY AND OUR COMMUNITY.” “SOMETIMES IT’S TRULY HARD OUT HERE TODAY BEING A SINGLE PARENT. I TRULY THANK YOU FOR THIS FOOD BANK.” “I LIVE IN MY VAN. I HAVE NO MEDIC E STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME.” “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOOD BANK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOW
Second Harvest North Florida 1502 Jessie Street Jacksonville, FL 32206 WeNourishHope.org twitter.com/wenourishhope facebook.com/wenourishhope
Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Jacksonville, FL Permit No. 1610
Second Harvest North Florida October 2010 WeNourishHope.org
Food Matters ‘Hunger Caravan’ serves rural Florida people in need All of us have felt the negative effects of the recession, but the blow is felt harder in communities where there are fewer job opportunities and fewer resources for people to rely on for help. Unemployment is reaching as high as 20 percent in some of the rural areas of north Florida, and the few agencies that provide food in these counties have been taxed beyond their ability to serve.
The mission of Second Harvest North Florida is to distribute food and grocery products to hungry people and to educate the public about the causes and possible solutions to problems of domestic hunger.
26th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon One in six adults and one in five children in north Florida are hungry, not just with growling stomachs until their next meal, but hungry because they have no money to buy food or means to get food. The Empty Bowls Luncheon has grown over the years because so many individuals and businesses in Jacksonville have taken the opportunity on this one day to reach out to those who need help. Proceeds from the event will enable Second Harvest North Florida to provide nutritious, healthy food and education to our neighbors who are not able to provide for themselves. Join over 1,500 other attendees on this one day to hear firsthand testimonies about hunger in our community, be served a simple soup and bread lunch from local celebrities and take away a handmade “empty bowl” as a token of our appreciation and as a constant reminder that there are thousands who are hungry in our community every day. Make it an outing for friends and work colleagues. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at WeNourishHope.org or by calling 904.739.7074. Table and event sponsorships are also available. Tuesday, Nov. 16 at Prime Osborn Convention Center Doors open at 11:15 a.m. Program is from 12 to 1 p.m.
“Elderly people weren’t getting their meds because they had to choose between meds and food.”
In response to this emergency situation, Second Harvest North Florida reacted with an urgent relief program called the “Hunger Caravan”. Over a period of seven weeks, we mobilized a traveling food distribution team that brought food to over 3,000 people in need. Lawrence in Alachua County was grateful for the food he received. “I haven’t had any work in six months. The only work I get is from people who know me and need some work on their vehicles,” Lawrence said. When asked what the food distribution meant for him, he replied, “It means everything right now. These people are great. They have really blessed us by coming here.” Between Aug. 17 and Oct. 7, the Hunger Caravan traveled to Alachua, Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Columbia and Suwannee counties to work with local agencies who have been trying to keep up with the need.
Pastor Ed Steves from Faith Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs has been feeling the pressure of keeping up with a growing demand for food. “We’ve been feeding 2,000 people a month for the last four to five months,” he said. “Elderly people weren’t getting their meds because they had to choose between meds and food. Now they can get their meds because we’re giving them enough food to get through the month.” Another volunteer working with Journey Church in Nassau County had this to say about the impact of the recession on her neighbors, “I deliver food to the people who can’t get out and stand in lines like these,” she said. “I see how it touches their hearts. I see the empty refrigerators and I know that lots of times it’s the last piece of bread in the cupboard.” Another woman who came for food summed up her feelings about the Hunger Caravan in this way, “The Lord took one loaf of bread and fed a lot of people.
That’s how I see what you’re doing here today. It’s going to help a lot of people in the community that need the help.”
E STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN “WE NOTSTRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY ARE CHILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN N NCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME.” “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOOD BANK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOWN. CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME.” “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOOD BANK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOW E DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “WE STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY WEARE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “WE STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I TRY TO FEED MY KIDS FIRST AND ME LAST.” “I WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT. THEY A ILDREN AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME. “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE CHILDREN FOOD AND MANY TIMES THEY CAN NOT CONCENTRATE ON THEIR STUDIES, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FOOD IN THE HOME. “IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OFTEN [THAT WE HAVE TO USE THE FOO NK], ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOWN. WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “EVERY MONTH A CHURCH, AFFILIATED WITH YOU ALL, BRINGS ME PLENTY OF FOOD. I COULD NEVER SHOW HOW MUCHBANK], IT IS ONLY WHEN WORK SLOWS DOWN. WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO AVOID IT.” “EVERY MONTH A CHURCH, AFFILIATED WITH YOU ALL, BRINGS ME PLENTY OF FOOD. I COULD NEVER SHOW HOW MUCH IT