By Marcus Fernandez
Kinney, Fernandez & Boire’s Community Action Program is a unique philanthropic effort that empowers employees to give time in the community through paid time off for volunteerism. As part of our efforts, the KFB Law blog will spotlight a Tampa nonprofit which an employee has volunteered at each month. We hope to drive awareness, donations and participation from the Tampa Bay community.
January is underway and if your New Year’s resolution includes volunteering in the community, we hope you’ll consider Kirina’s volunteer day nonprofit, Feeding Tampa Bay.
With a mission of fighting hunger one meal at a time, Feeding Tampa Bay fulfills a critical need in our community. That’s because, despite an uptick in the economy, Florida still ranks fourth in the nation for family hunger. According to the organization, one in six people residing in our region lives with hunger on a daily basis.
Data from the study, Hunger in America, highlights the disparity between perception and reality. Too often hunger is thought only to be a challenge experienced by our homeless population. In actuality, 95 percent of food bank clients nationally live in non-temporary housing. These clients own or rent a home, or reside in a home that is owned by a family member. Locally, 24 percent of Feeding Tampa Bay’s clients are children under the age of 18.
It’s a challenge that not only resides in our homes but in our schools as well. Hillsborough County Public Schools supplies free or reduced meals to nearly 70 percent of students during their school year. For many, the need for a nourishing meal still exists when the students leave school for the day. Feeding Tampa Bay’s child-focused food programs extend after school, over summer break, and even into homes with its Feeding Minds program.
Kirina’s Day of Giving
Feeding Tampa Bay has supplied more than 46 million pounds of food to individuals and families in a 10-county service area over the past year. However, they can’t do it without the support of generous individuals and corporations in the community. For Kirina’s volunteer day, that meant working in their warehouse, helping to sort food items, stock shelves, and more. Kirina also made it a family affair by bringing along her son. For her, it was a teaching moment: highlighting the needs of others and the value of giving back. Finally, she used her Pay it Forward Fun(d) money to donate to Feeding Tampa Bay. For every one dollar donated to the nonprofit, Feeding Tampa Bay provides ten meals to those in need.
If you’d like to support Feeding Tampa Bay in their mission of fighting hunger, please visit their website to learn more about how you can help.
