PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Our Local 10 “Day of Giving” is here! Come and meet Local 10 personalities who will be at several Publix locations receiving your non-perishable food donations.
Those donations go directly to six hunger relief organizations in South Florida.
With blue skies above and a blessing, SOS Foundation in Key Largo is keeping pantries and hearts full.
“We’re feeding anywhere between 350 to 400 people right now and that will increase with the season. We will start to see our numbers rise as people come back to the county,” said Barbara Hann, of SOS.
The nonprofit operates this and also Client-Choice Food Pantries in the Keys.
Every year it distributes enough food for 1.6 million meals, all to people who either live or work in Monroe County.
Catherine Castro and her mother, Carmen, come to SOS every week.
“Water, electric, bills, internet, phone. You lose a lot of money with that. So this is a big help? Yes.” said Catherine Castro a food recipient.
Hannah Madison is a volunteer and a former food recipient.
“Sometimes people are in a bad way for one week or sometimes things really change so we’re here for that,” said Madison.
Before SOS gets ready for Thanksgiving, it is making a grocery list for our Local 10 Day of Giving and counting on your support and on big blessings.
“We always say: ‘What you’re buying for yourself just double, and then give us what the double is,’ ” said Hanna.
Meanwhile, in Davie, the volunteers at Manna-Share-A-Meal are hard at work preparing for another food distribution.
Lead volunteer Louis Gigliotti says, ”We’ve never turned anybody away.” For 31 years, the nonprofit has operated out of a Davie warehouse. Giglioti has chronicled every milestone, paying special attention to all who enter.
“We don’t call them clients, we call them friends. They are our friends. They are our neighbors,” she said.
And she says they feed much more than their bodies.
“There is a spiritual hunger out there. There’s hopelessness out there,” said Giglioti.
Giglioti wants to feed 120 families this Thanksgiving. For those who help, a priceless gift awaits. Giglioti is always ready to give a hug.
She invites everyone to come out and get a hug at the Publix at 15729 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, on Friday where Local 10′s Jenise Fernandez and Kristi Krueger will be there with Louise bright and early beginning at 6 a.m.