Jacksonville News

Photo by Member Mark Krancer, Kram Kran Photo

Photo by Member Mark Krancer, Kram Kran Photo

ARTICLE

Date ArticleType
6/13/2023 4:00:00 AM Member News

AT LEAST 200 FAMILIES SUPPORTED BY CENTER OF HOPE GROCERY GIVEAWAY ON JUNE 13

Center of Hope will bring another food bank to 32209 later this summer

Jacksonville, Fla. (June 14, 2023) – At least 200 families living in Jacksonville’s 32209 ZIP code received a little extra support Tuesday with a grocery giveaway, provided by the Center of Hope at Emmett Reed.

Manned by Center of Hope staff and volunteers from partner agencies – including Family Support Services, Partnership for Child Health, Hope Florida, and Jacksonville Housing – the  Center handed out hundreds of bags filled with canned food items, boxes of pasta, cereal, chicken broth, breakfast pastries and more to residents whose cars wrapped around the block hours ahead of the event’s noon starting time. By 1 p.m., all items had been distributed to the community.

Tuesday’s grocery giveaway was prompted in part due to the postponement of the Center’s Juneteenth celebration, a result of the temporary closure of the Emmett Reed Community Center. “We wanted to do something special for the 32209 community to let them know we haven’t forgotten them and we’re still here for them,” said Jada Hunter, Executive Director of Community Reinvestment at Center of Hope and FSS. “We’re so very happy we were able to at least address a dent in … food insecurity.”

While the Center has supported giveaways during the holidays in the past, this is their largest event to date. At the end of the month, Hunter says, Center of Hope is partnering with Feeding Northeast Florida to bring a mobile grocery store to 32209, allowing families to choose their own items from a pantry of donated items.

Some of Center of Hope’s recurring programs, such as weekly Diaper Distribution, have already adjusted for the temporary closure; Center staff are also currently planning an updated Juneteenth/end-of-summer celebration for late July. For more information about the Center’s community programs or for assistance, call Center of Hope at 904-265-6787. Updates will be added at CenterofHopeFL.org and Facebook.com/CenterofHopeFL when available.

Media is included for distribution. Click here for video interview with Jada Hunter, Executive Director of Community Reinvestment, as well as B-roll. Email Chanel.Martin@fssnf.org for more information or additional footage as available.

 

About the Center of Hope

Center of Hope is a community collaboration operated by Family Support Services. The Center’s focus is to promote positive outcomes of safety and well-being for all children and families in our community’s most vulnerable areas, with a focus on the 32209 ZIP code, through the development and delivery of comprehensive services and supports. For more information about the Center of Hope, go to CenterofHopeFL.org. For more information about Family Support Services of Duval & Nassau Counties, go to www.familysupport.org.