A helping hand: Urban League hosts annual summer food drive at three PB County sites
WEST PALM BEACH — Cars by the dozens lined the parking lot of the University Preparatory Academy in West Palm Beach on Saturday morning as area residents waited to collect free food.
Volunteers filled open car trunks with bags packed with fresh chicken, salmon, pasta, bread, fruit and vegetables. The food distribution was held as part of the Urban League of Palm Beach County's third annual Summer Food Drive. The food drive was held at three sites simultaneously in West Palm Beach, Delray Beach and Belle Glade.
Urban League President and CEO Patrick Franklin estimated that 400 to 500 families would be served at each site. This year's food drive was moved from July to June, with organizers wanting to tie the event closer to the end of the school year, Franklin said.
The summer food drive is similar to one the Urban League holds each fall to provide meals for families in need for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“We’ve been doing Thanksgiving for 30 years,” Franklin said. “But people eat more than just Thanksgiving. Our kids depend upon breakfast and lunch at school every day. School ended three weeks ago, and so we feel as though there’s a need. "
Franklin said more than $27,000 was raised for the food drive, primarily through private and corporate donations.
In three spots at once
In addition to distributing food in West Palm Beach, volunteers handed out food at Pompey Park in Delray Beach and Hand Park in Belle Glade.
"We can’t just be in one spot," Franklin said of the need for multiple locations. "We cover the entire county, so this is our way of saying 'How do we make a difference?' And not just in one place, but in three places all at the same time on this one day."
Franklin said the goal was to provide those in need with staples that can be used to make several meals.
The West Palm Beach food distribution lasted for more than two hours, with volunteers arriving at about 6 a.m. As music from a local radio station played in the background, volunteers carefully loaded food and into each vehicle. They were greeted with smiles and expressions of gratitude in return.
Javoris Ingram, a member of the Urban League's board of directors, said the smiles on the faces of those receiving assistance made it worth the early-hours effort.
"To see our community smile and say thank you, and us knowing that we fulfilled a need, is very, very inspiring," he said.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at@JuliusWhigham. Help support our work:Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Urban League summer food drive serves hundreds at 3 county locations
