Meals On Wheels for Kids expands into Dade City

DADE CITY, Fla. - Sept. 28, 2020 - PRLog -- Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger (TBNEH), a tri-county leader in hunger relief, research and program development, will expand Meals On Wheels for Kids (MOW4Kids) into Dade City in Pasco County.  The program will begin packing meals on Thursday, October 1 and delivering on Friday, October 2, 2020 out of Farmworker's Self-Help Inc in Dade City.

The Network's innovative MOW4Kids program, the first program of its kind, launched this past March. MOW4Kids, was developed in response to COVID-19 school closures, to serve children, 18 years or younger, with meals delivered to their home by volunteers. MOW4Kids is an alternative option for kids that are not able to access meal distribution sites throughout the county; and/or 2) kids that have difficulty accessing open food pantries. The program currently serves Clearwater and St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Wimauma in South Hillsborough County and will continue to expand the program, to include Date City in East Pasco County.

Farmworker's Self-Help Inc., a local non-profit organization that provides assistance to farmworkers in Dade City, is the area's designated packing and distribution site for the program in this service area. Shelf stable boxes of food will be packed by volunteers on Thursdays and then delivered by volunteers with level 2 background checks on Fridays. On the morning of delivery, volunteer cars are loaded with meals packs and boxes of shelf stable food to then go out and deliver to children and families residing in Dade City.

At the core of this Meals on Wheels program is nutritious food delivered to the homes of children and their families.  The program provides meals, shelf stable groceries, including produce, as resources allow.  Children may experience an increase in overall nutrition, food security, and feelings of social connectedness from volunteers stopping by.

Volunteer drivers are needed each week to help pack boxes of shelf stable food on Thursdays and to deliver on Fridays from Farmworker's Self-Help in Dade City. Routes take 60 minutes to complete. To sign up to volunteer, please visit https://networktoendhunger.org/volunteer/.

To find out how you can get involved, visit https://networktoendhunger.org/mow4kids/ or call (813) 344-5837.

About Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger
Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger is committed to ending hunger in Tampa Bay by bringing people together to find solutions that eliminate barriers, increase access and knowledge, and expand the amount of nutritious food available. TBNEH has over 350 members and serves a tri-county area, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.  TBNEH is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency and relies on its community for support. www.NetworktoEndHunger.org