Summer of Hunger

Vital Stats

Deion J

Fort Myers, FL

  • people helped800
  • People Doing It 7

The Problem

In Southwest Florida, a majority of the families are in poverty. Nearly two-thirds of the children that go to school qualify to receive free food, supplying them with two meals, breakfast and lunch, everday. Unfortunately, school does not last year-round, and when summer comes the parents of these children simply don't have the income to pay for those extra meals. Especially this past year, since a majority of the families work in orange orchards, freezing temperatures across Florida stalled many crops from growing, meaning the workers did not have any sources of income until the next crop grew. Stopping childhood hunger within my own collegiate community is my goal. College students are usually wasteful with food, so why not give to those who need it just next door.

Plan of Action

At the end of the spring semester for college, students are required to move out. However, not many students want to carry food with them back home. My plan of action is to collect all food that students are willing to give up, and donate that food to a local food bank, who then distribute that same food to families in the area. In five days this past semester, my group and I collected nearly 500 pounds of food to donate. This total was from only about a quarter of the student housing on campus. If I could spread the word in a more professional, and effective, fashion, I believe that I could at least double that total, come next summer.

Project Updates

It is round two of the campus wide food drive, and we have spread the donations to the community. We have coordinated with several businesses and restaurants to offer discounts for donations in order to collect the most food possible for children in need. Harry Chapin Food Bank has also allowed us to partner with them for a second year, making the food distribution possible for those in need.

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Hunger

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