FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 28, 2013) – As Southwest Florida’s seasonal residents prepare to head back north, Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc. is asking that they not throw away their unused pantry goods.
Southwest Florida’s visitors and winter residents are encouraged to donate their unused food to CCMI’s Everyday Cafés and Marketplaces prior to heading home.
“With the summer months approaching and the price of food rising, CCMI could certainly benefit from the departures of seasonal residents as they leave behind unused food to help feed the hungry in Lee County,” said Tracey Galloway, CEO of CCMI.
Non-perishable food donations can be made daily to CCMI’s Everyday Cafés and Marketplaces located in Fort Myers at 3429 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard or in Cape Coral at 1105 Cultural Park Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
A “wish list” of items requested include cornbread mix, cereal, peanut butter, packaged cookies and snacks, jelly, rice and pasta, spaghetti sauce, macaroni and cheese, Ramen noodles, canned meats, and pop-top cans of vegetables, chili, meats and fruit, as well as non-food items including handheld can openers, Ziploc sandwich bags, diapers, bug spray, sun block and travel-size toiletries.
“We have more than 75,000 seasonal residents, said Galloway. “If each one of those individuals dropped off a can of food to the CCMI, we will not be faced with turning people away our hungry neighbors this summer.”
CCMI is an innovative nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization made up of social service entrepreneurs fighting to end homelessness and hunger in our community. The agency provides more than 15,000 meals each month through its Everyday Cafes and Marketplaces and Meals on Wheels programs. CCMI also educates 40 children in its Community Montessori, offers homeless and comprehensive case coaching services through its United Way Resource Houses, oversees an emergency mobile food pantry and supplies weekend backpacks full of food to more than 2,500 children each school year.
CCMI serves Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. CCMI works in partnership with United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades, Harry Chapin Food Bank and various community foundations as well as collaborating with fellow community and service groups including The School District of Lee County and numerous churches, businesses and community support organizations.
For more information, call (239) 332-7687 or visit www.ccmileecounty.com.
