110 W. New York Ave.
DeLand, FL 32720
386-734-4622
BEACON PHOTO/PAT ANDREWS
Coming together — Troy Ray of Halifax Urban Ministries, at the podium, Nita Schmellick of the Community Foundation of East Central Florida, Tim Sylvia of United Way of Volusia-Flagler, and Pastor Benjamin Stillwell-Hernandez of Pine Ridge Fellowship in Deltona share ideas about uniting to provide food for the economically strapped. Now, there’s a call to action, to spend a little bit of money to help feed neighbors in need.
By Pat Andrews
posted Sep 4, 2012 - 1:38:51pm
West Volusia residents are being asked to set aside $1 a day to help feed their neighbors.
Some 14,000 Volusia County families are living below the federal poverty level, juggling bills, and trying to figure out how to pay for the essentials, including food.
Halifax Urban Ministries, the Community Foundation of East Central Florida and the United Way have combined forces to organize “Feed Our Neighbors Week: Challenge for Hunger.”
Checks can be mailed to the Community Foundation at P.O. Box 523, DeLand, FL 32721-0523, or donate online at www.cfecf.org. Donations will be used in the donor’s community, so everyone who takes part will know that families living nearby will get the help.
Nita Schmellick of the Community Foundation of East Central Florida said nearly 49 million people in the U.S. face hunger. That’s one in six people, and one in five children.
And, she said, “We’ve got food drives going on all over the county.”
Two West Volusia Weight Watchers offices are helping community members lose weight while fighting hunger.
The fourth annual “Lose for Good” campaign will donate to hunger-fighting efforts for every pound lost by Weight Watchers participants between Sept. 2 and Oct. 30. Locally, food items will be collected.
Lose for Good events are planned at two West Volusia locations Saturday, Sept. 15: 2751 Enterprise Road, Suite 205, in Orange City, and 1697 N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand.
Those attending may sign up for Lose for Good, and donations of nonperishable food items will be accepted. Donations made at the Orange City location will benefit the Pine Ridge Fellowship food pantry in Deltona, while donations made at the DeLand location will benefit The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia.
Businesses, civic groups, churches and other groups can take part in Feed Our Neighbors Week: Challenge for Hunger. Contact Schmellick at 386-734-4075, or visit the website cfecf.org/feed-our-neighbors.
Food donations are being accepted at county libraries, and Schmellick expects all the major auto dealers in West Volusia to be accepting donations.
Other donation sites include Gateway Center for the Arts in DeBary, DeBary City Hall and Fire Station, and Deltona City Hall and Deltona fire stations.
To sponsor a food drive, call Troy Ray at Halifax Urban Ministries at 386-252-0156. Organizers will coordinate the weighing, pickup and distribution of the food.
Food-challenge events are also being organized on the Stetson University campus during the week of Sept. 9-15.
The rest is up to you, West Volusia.
— Beacon reporter Sarahrose Ministeri contributed to this story.
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