More than 1,000 volunteers from across Palm Beach County met at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 16 to scoop, measure, seal and package thousands of portions of dried pasta.
The volunteers came to the center’s Gimelstob Ballroom in support of the Palm Beach County Food Bank’s “Pack to Give Back: Day of 200,000 Meals” in honor of Hunger Action Day. They exceeded expectations, and packed 297,420 meals by the day’s end.
Most of the meals will be sent to the food bank’s 200 partner agencies to feed the 192,000 county residents struggling to afford their next meal, Palm Beach County Food Bank CEO Jamie Kendall told the Daily News.
She said many would be surprised to know that most of those residents aren’t homeless or unemployed.
“It’s actually the working-class poor, when you have two parents that are working minimum wage jobs or a little above minimum wage, they’re juggling very tight budgets and just one flat tire away from hunger,” Kendall said.
The event marks the second year the organization hosted the food bank’s public meal packing event, Kravis Center CEO Diane Quinn said.
“We love what the Palm Beach County Food Bank stands for and if we all don’t lend a hand to help with food insecurity, then we just leave it to one organization, and that doesn’t seem to be very collegial or community way to think about it,” Quinn said. “Everybody deserves food and good health.”
More than 40 members of the Kravis Center’s staff signed up to the event, she said.
They were joined by over 1,000 volunteers, who were split into morning, midday and afternoon shifts. The volunteers included employees from Florida Power and Light, LexusNexis, Palm Beach’s The Breakers resort and Publix.
They were joined by people who decided to break from their daily routines to help the food bank’s efforts.
“Now that I’m retired, I’m trying to do as much volunteering as I can,” said Karen Hodge, of North Palm Beach.
“It makes my heart warm,” seeing the hundreds turnout in support of the food bank, she said.
During the event, volunteers received an orange Palm Beach County Food Bank shirt. Kendall said it’s the color that nationally represents hunger relief and hunger awareness.
It’s also the same color used to light the Breakers towers and fountain during the evening of Sept. 16, in honor of Hunger Action Day and the Palm Beach County Food Bank’s efforts, Kendall said.
Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach County Food Bank volunteers pack nearly 300,000 meals at the Kravis Center
Reporting by Diego Diaz Lasa, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
