The Oklahoma City-based nonprofit Feed the Children sent a semi-trailer full of food, toiletries and household cleaning supplies to Macclenny on March 15 for distribution to families in need.
Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition in Jacksonville orchestrated the delivery and distribution of donated goods here and at similar events in St. Johns and Duval counties the same day.
Local nonprofit groups, which supplied some 30 volunteers for the event, were asked to register families in advance to receive food. The only requirement was that recipients have children in the home.
An estimated 250-300 families picked up donations beginning at 3:30 pm in the National Children’s Study parking lot on S. 6th St. in the Crossroads Shopping Center.
“The event was a great success yesterday when every bit of food, cleaning and hygiene items were distributed to Baker families,” said Kerry Dunlavey, director of the Baker County Health Department, by e-mail last week. “We were blessed to have the event here this year for the first time.”
Feed the Children is a private international charity organization founded in 1979 to deliver “food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty or natural disasters,” according to the nonprofit’s website, www.feedthechildren.org.
The organization has delivered donations in Jacksonville for the last two years through a partnership with the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition. Now in its third year, the program was expanded to Baker and St. Johns counties.
Other event sponsors included Angel Aqua, which donated a fork lift and driver, Bennett’s Feed, which supplied a pallet jack, and the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, which provided canopies.
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