Together We Can Help Stop Hunger

Together We Can

HELP STOP HUNGER

By Amanda Overstreet, Communications Coordinator

HUNGER IS EVERYWHERE. It’s the face of your neighbor, the person behind you in church and the stranger at the bus stop. According to the United Way, more than 50,000 people are food insecure in Alachua County alone.

The Bread of the Mighty Food Bank in Gainesville strives to fight that statistic. The food bank is the only one of its kind in North Central Florida.

FFB President John L. Hoblick, left, and FFB Insurance President Steve Murray pictured with Karen Woolfstead during the first FFB milk delivery.

Bread of the Mighty has been instrumental in providing nutrition to a five-county service area for more than 30 years. The organization is housed in a 20,000 square foot warehouse with 2,600 square feet of cooler space, a fleet of 11 trucks and vans and a one-of-a-kind showroom.

Last year the organization, with the help of volunteers, distributed more than seven million pounds of food to those in need in Alachua, Gilchrist, Levy, Dixie and Lafayette counties.

Karen Woolfstead is the director of communications and development at Bread of the Mighty

and she brings with her 30 plus years’ experience in public relations.

She followed her heart to help the hungry after nearly a fourdecade career in television. “I met Marcia Conwell, CEO and president of Bread of the Mighty, through my work at the news station,” she said. “She opened my eyes to hunger. I had no idea the need for food is as big as it is.”

Woolfstead explained that the food is distributed through 190 agencies, 80 percent being churches and ministries, who then disperse the food to people in their communities.

“Catholic Charities, Girls Place, Grace Marketplace and Field and Fork at UF are some of our larger agencies,” she said.

Sherry Coffill is the president of Heart of a Servant Outreach Ministry in Old Town and is a non-profit agency partner of Bread of the Mighty.

Her distributions range from Taylor County all the way south into Levy County in addition to a food pantry she operates out of her home. She provides an independent ministry with a heart of gold.

“Everybody needs to eat,” Coffill said. “That’s my drive.”

Coffill experienced a life-altering experience when she lost her daughter to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, in 2010. The emotional and financial distraught she endured was unbearable and she found herself standing in line for food.

The memory stands idle in her mind as she lives to make sure members of her community don’t have to brave the same experience.

“I want to feed everybody,” she said.

Coffill worked closely with Bread of the Mighty in disaster relief operations during Hurricane Michael in 2018. “I delivered MREs (meals ready to eat) and pallets of water in preparation of the storm,” she said.

She also spreads her love in packing backpacks of food and water for children who are food insecure in Dixie County.

Throughout the year, Bread of the Mighty hosts’ food drives, mobile pantries and after-school feedings and provides meals to senior citizens through a partnership with the USDA known as the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

Hunger Action Month is observed in September and Bread of the Mighty joins other food banks nationwide to

The food bank offers a one-of-a-kind showroom where foods are displayed.

Karen Woolfstead, left, and Sherry Coffill pictured at the 2019 Empty Bowls fundraising event on May 22.

spread the word about hunger and fight for a solution.

Through a program called Hunger Hero, individuals can make monetary donations and food donations towards the cause. One dollar amounts to 10 meals and 1.2 pounds of food is equal to one meal.

In its eighth year, the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser is the organization’s biggest event. Held in May at Trinity United Methodist Church, the fundraiser promotes hunger awareness and raises money to feed those in need.

“This year we raised $94,000, $28,000 more than last year,” Woolfstead said. Participants dine on a bowl of soup, fruit and bread provided by Chick-Fil-A, listen to inspirational speakers and participate in a live and a silent auction.

“We had over 450 people in attendance this year,” Woolfstead said. “Students from local schools make clay bowls for the event which guests are invited to take home as a keepsake.”

Last fall Florida Farm Bureau participated in the “Ten Gallon Challenge” which derived from a

Bread of the Mighty also offers fresh produce, dairy items, eggs and meat for those in need.

social media initiative to purchase gallons of milk for local food banks.

The FFB state office raised enough money to purchase 10 gallons of milk each week for Bread of the Mighty Food Bank for an entire year. In addition, more than 13 county Farm Bureaus participated in the challenge.

If it wasn’t for the hard work of volunteers and generous donors, Bread of the Mighty Food Bank would not be what it is today.

Mike Walsh, president of Parrish-McCall Constructors, Inc. in Gainesville, stated that his company has volunteered building services for the food bank to help out. “We provided the coordination and installation of the cooler free of charge,” he said. “It’s an important mission and I do the best I can to help them along the way.”

To learn more about Bread of the Mighty Food Bank and how you can become a Hunger Hero, visit https://www.breadofthemighty.org/ hunger-hero.html.