December 28, 2020
United Way of Charlotte County uses funds raised to support collaborative programs in our community. We focus on collaborations because we know the exponential impact when multiple agencies come together to share resources, expertise, and a vision for a better Charlotte County.
Two of our collaborative programs were gifted vouchers to Publix Supermarkets for free holiday dinners from the Rotary Clubs of Rotary District 6960, Area 6. This heartwarming donation is the perfect example of how collaboration works. Dennis Wallace of Wallace Law Firm connected the Harbor Heights / Peace River Rotary and Publix Supermarkets with an opportunity to collaborate to feed food insecure individuals and families this holiday season. Families were able to pick up a full Christmas dinner for 6 to 8 people, complete with ham, potatoes, green beans and a pie.
The Ending Youth & Chronic Homelessness Collaborative received 55 meal vouchers. These were distributed to the Homeless Coalition, Virginia B. Andes Volunteer Community Clinic, and Jesus Loves You Ministries to provide a Christmas Dinner to 55 families experiencing homelessness in our community.
An additional 12 holiday dinner vouchers were donated to the Kids Thrive Collaborative. Kids Thrive works to foster early literacy and access to developmental resources for children exposed to early childhood trauma (many who are born substance-exposed) to help prepare them to succeed in school. These Christmas Dinner vouchers helped reduce some of the financial stress of the holiday season and provided an opportunity for a great memory and family bonding.
The families who received these vouchers expressed gratitude for the donation. One mother said, “The ham dinner from Publix was so delicious and yummy. Thank you so much Rotary and our community.” Another family shared what the voucher meant to them, “It allowed our family to have a real celebration.”
Thank you to Wallace Law Firm, Harbors Heights / Peace River Rotary, and Publix Supermarkets for showing how collaborations can make an impact in Charlotte County!