Sunshine Matters

The month of June brought the “This Side vs. That Side Canned Food Drive” to support America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend back to the halls of VISIT FLORIDA.  This highly anticipated competition – with a nacho fiesta and bragging rights for the year on the line for the winning side – splits the VISIT FLORIDA office in half to see which side can collect the most pounds of non-perishable items for the local food bank.

Though the event has traditionally taken place around Thanksgiving, we moved the drive to June which is a high-need time for the food bank.  We joined forces with AMWAT Moving and Storage for their Summer Fill-A-Truck Food and Fund Drive to help meet the out-of-school demand of children who need daily meals when school lunches are not available.  We focused our drive on Second Harvest’s “super six” items – peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, canned fruits, canned vegetables and beans, soups and stews, and cereal.

VISIT FLORIDA staff contributed 1,206 pounds of canned items, including 240 pounds of cereal, which is equivalent to 1,005 meals.  While “That Side” may have won the nacho fiesta, the real winners are the thousands of individuals and families in the Big Bend area who turn to Second Harvest in their time of need.  The 2015 Summer Fill a Truck Food and Fund collected a total of 8,409 pounds of food and $9,730 in monetary donations.

One in six Americans experience hunger on a regular basis.  Every month in the Big Bend, America’s Second Harvest provides food for more than 44,000 people, one-third of whom are children, and 11% are seniors.  The numbers of those in need continue to increase, so the organization is constantly working to increase the amount of food available.

VISIT FLORIDA staff always has fun competing against each other, but we also take great pride in doing our part to improve the lives of our neighbors by helping create a stronger community.  We encourage you all to give back to the communities you call home.  By combining our efforts toward worthy causes, Florida’s communities will be brighter than ever.