Safe Children Coalition provides Thanksgiving meals to area families

On November 23, Safe Children Coalition (SCC) provided 550 full Thanksgiving meals to families in need through a drive-thru event at its main office in north Sarasota. Eligible recipient families were those currently being served through SCC programs such as Achievers, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), Schoolhouse Link, and the Youth Shelter as well as other partnering agencies that serve low-income families.

For nearly 30 years, SCC has distributed Thanksgiving meals to those in need, a tradition that began as a community service project for the teens in the Achievers program to give back to the community. Families received a turkey large enough for a family of eight, vegetables, sides and pie. The meals are provided by Publix, which offers the food at a discounted cost in support of the effort.

Since this effort began, more than 6,500 Thanksgiving meals have been provided to families in need, thanks to donations from the community and the hard work of the Achievers in planning and carrying out the event.

A special thank-you is in order for Sarasota lawyer and longtime turkey drive sponsor Dan Dannheisser for – as he has each and every year – spearheading the fundraising campaign and personally funding numerous meals. SCC is also grateful to Laura Strub-Potter, president of Construction Supply of Southwest Florida, Inc., which continued its longtime tradition of providing a truck to deliver the turkey meals to the distribution site. Strub-Potter has not only been involved with the turkey distribution effort since its inception, she has also fostered and adopted with training and support from SCC.

Jacqueline House, SCC's VP of Communications & Community Engagement, was on-site for the event. She reports that this year has been particularly rough on the children and families served by the organization.

“We hear from our families that, in addition to the costs of living remaining high in our area, the hurricanes contributed to additional financial strain, due to property damage and food spoilage due to the loss of power,” said House. “Every year, we know our children and families look forward to knowing that – no matter what – they will have a healthy and happy holiday feast to enjoy with their loved ones.”

According to Feeding America, 47 million people in the U.S. are food insecure – including 14 million (one in five) children. High costs of living and the recent hurricanes impacting Florida have only worsened the hunger crisis for families who were already at risk. Distributing Thanksgiving meals is just one of the ways Safe Children Coalition provides crucial support for families in need.

For more about SCC, visit sccfl.org.

About Safe Children Coalition, Inc.
Safe Children Coalition, Inc. (SCC) serves as the lead agency for community-based care for Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. SCC is a collaboration between local community agencies who provide services to children and families in need. SCC is committed to protecting children, strengthening families, and building community. The core functions provided by SCC include child welfare case management, foster care, adoption, independent living, prevention, diversion, quality management, and support services. Visit sccfl.org or call 941-371-4799.