Sharing hope through boxes of food in Brevard County | Share Your Christmas
LOTS ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA, CARS LINE UP EARLY IN THE MORNING TO RECEIVE HOPE. AND IT COMES IN THE FORM OF A BOX OF FOOD. THIS RITUAL WEEKLY AND MONTHLY, HELPS KEEP FAMILIES FED, RENT PAID AND HOUSEHOLDS GOING. WESH 2’S MEREDITH MCDONOUGH TAKES US TO BREVARD COUNTY TO HEAR FIRSTHAND FROM THE PEOPLE BEING HELPED, AND THOSE DOING THE HELPING. BOX AFTER BOX, CART FULL AFTER CART FULL. THE VOLUNTEERS WITH SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL, DIVINE MERCY FOOD PANTRY ARE GETTING READY. SO WE HAVE 115 BOXES. THEY SHOULD ALL GO TODAY, READY TO GIVE. GOOD MORNING. I’M DOING GREAT. EVERYTHING IN THE TRUNK. THIS IS THEIR BIWEEKLY FOOD DISTRIBUTION ON MERIT ISLAND. FOR THOSE HAVING A HARD TIME AFFORDING THEIR MEALS. NEIGHBORS WAIT, LINED UP IN THEIR CARS FOR HOURS AHEAD OF THE DISTRIBUTION. THEY GIVE YOU A VARIETY OF STUFF. IT’S LIKE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, AND THEN YOU’LL GET SOME MEAT AND OF COURSE, VARIOUS EVERYWHERE, DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY HAVE. BUT IT’S DEFINITELY STAPLES THAT ACTUALLY COME IN VERY HANDY. EVERY BOX FULL IS A BLESSING. IT REALLY IS A BLESSING. I REALLY, REALLY, I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE WOULD DO WITHOUT IT. IT’S SOMETHING WE HEARD FROM EVERYONE WE TALKED WITH BECAUSE I’M ON SOCIAL SECURITY AND MY LAST TWO WEEKS, YOU KNOW, THIS HELPS OUT A LOT. VEGETABLES. YOU GET SOME MEATS AND THEY’LL THROW IN A PIE HERE AND THERE. WE’LL TAKE ALL RIGHT WITH I JUST RETIRED LAST YEAR AND THIS HAS MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE ON MY GROCERY BILL. WE GOT MEAT FOR YOU AND ALL KINDS OF YUMMINESS TODAY. YOU EVEN GOT HOT DOGS, GIRLFRIEND. LOOK AT THAT. IT MAKES ME BE ABLE TO COOK A MEAT WITH ACTUALLY EVERY MEAL THAT I DON’T HAVE TO TAKE AWAY FROM MY BILL. MONEY. IT HELPS CONSIDERABLY. IF I DIDN’T HAVE IT, I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW. WHAT? HOW I WOULD MAKE IT. LONNIE AND TOM BUTLER RUN THE PANTRY. THEY ARE SNOWBIRDS WHO MADE MERRITT ISLAND THEIR HOME FULL TIME SEVEN YEARS AGO. I SAW THAT THE PANTRY WOULD BE A SOCIAL PLACE. I WOULD SEE PEOPLE COMING IN AND OUT. I’D GET TO TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE ALL DAY, AND IT’S CREATED A WHOLE NOTHER COMMUNITY FOR US. PARTNERING WITH SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK, THE BOWLERS AND THEIR SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL TEAM TRANSFORM THIS PANTRY FROM ONLY CANS AND BOXED GOODS TO THIS ABUNDANT OPERATION. THEY’VE MADE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE. WE’RE SO GRATEFUL TO SECOND HARVEST. THEY ALSO MAKE HOUSE CALLS. THE PANTRY HAS A HOME DELIVERY PROGRAM TO HELP NEIGHBORS WHO CANNOT GET TO THE CHURCH. NEIGHBORS LIKE TAMARA QUINN, WHO IS HOMEBOUND. I LOVE THAT FACE. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THAT’S WHEN HIS WIFE, I WOULD JUMP UP THERE AND LOVE HIM. YEAH. THE SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL VOLUNTEERS SEE TAMARA TWICE A MONTH. GOD SENDS HIS ANGELS. WHICH ARE THESE GUYS? THEY COME IN, THEY TALK TO ME AND STUFF. OTHERWISE, I WOULD NEVER GET TALKED TO. YOU KNOW, I DON’T KNOW IF THEY REALLY KNOW HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO ME. BECAUSE IT DOES. THIS NEED FOR SUPPORT THAT FAMILIES HAVE. WE HAVE MANY THAT WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, IF I CAN GET THE FOOD FROM YOU AND I DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR AS MUCH FOOD, THEN MAYBE I CAN PAY THE ELECTRIC BILL. MAYBE I CAN PAY THE WATER BILL. MAYBE I CAN PUT IT TOWARDS THE RENT. I MEAN, IT’S THAT CLOSE FOR THEM. THROUGH THE BI MONTHLY FOOD DELIVERIES AND DISTRIBUTIONS, THIS MERRITT ISLAND PANTRY HELPS MORE THAN 700 FAMILIES A MONTH. SO MUCH OF IT MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK, AND THE DEDICATION OF THESE VOLUNTEERS. IT DOESN’T EVER SEEM LIKE WORK BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND YOU’RE DOING IT FOR SOMEONE THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE LESS FORTUNATE THAN WE HAVE BEEN IN OUR LIVES. SO IT’S REALLY MEANINGFUL TO US. MEREDITH MCDONOUGH WESH TWO NEWS. OKAY, BREVARD COUNTY. THIS FRIDAY IS YOUR CHANCE TO HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS FACING HUNGER. WE JUST SAW THE IMPACT THIS HAS. WESH TWO IS HEADING BACK TO THE BREVARD ZOO FOR SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS TO COLLECT FOOD FOR SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK AND THE DOZENS OF FOOD PANTRIES THEY SUPPORT THERE. WE’LL BE BROADCASTING LIVE FROM THE ZOO FROM 6 A.M. TO 1 P.M., COLLECTING YOUR NONPERISHABLE FOOD DONATIONS. OR JOIN US IN LAKE MARION, ORANGE, OSCEOLA AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES FRIDAY AT THE LOCATIONS ON YOUR SCREEN. ALL THE FOOD COLLECTED STAYS IN THE COUNTY WHERE IT’S DONATED.
Sharing hope through boxes of food in Brevard County | Share Your Christmas
Updated: 5:03 PM EST Dec 11, 2024
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Sharing hope through boxes of food in Brevard County>> Watch video above to learn more
Sharing hope through boxes of food in Brevard County
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