Volunteers from Florida Power & Light teamed up with employees from Whole Foods Market in West Palm Beach to help Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches prepare and deliver more than 150 bags of emergency food supplies to homebound seniors served by the nonprofit organization.
“We are extremely grateful to FPL and Whole Foods Market for their support of this project, both financially and through volunteer and staff efforts,” said Pam Calzadilla, executive director of Meals on Wheels.
Volunteers with Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches deliver more than 500 nutritious meals a week to homebound seniors. In the aftermath of a hurricane or other disaster, however, delivery of those meals could be hampered. Emergency food kits can help to ensure that clients don’t have to miss a meal.
Each kit contains three days’ worth of food supplies for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as snacks and nutritional beverages. Supplies include cereal, canned meats, fruit packs, shelf-stable milk, peanut butter and snacks.
The emergency kits featured grocery products from Whole Food’s 365 Everyday Value line. “Caring for the communities in which we live and serve is very important to Whole Foods Market,” said Brenna Bertram, marketing team leader for the store. “Through this partnership with Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches and FPL volunteers, Whole Foods Market West Palm Beach was able to provide the food contained in the 150 emergency kits to homebound seniors.”
Whole Foods Market team members set up a staging area where volunteers from FPL packed the kits. More FPL volunteers delivered 25 emergency hurricane food kits to Meals on Wheels clients in Century Village. The remaining food kits have been delivered to clients by Meals on Wheels volunteers.
“We’re particularly gratified to help prepare these emergency hurricane meals because storm preparation is something we take very seriously,” said Thomas Bean, director of public and community engagement at FPL.
Meals on Wheels plans to make distribution of emergency food kits an annual event.
ABOVE: Brenna Bertram of Whole Foods Market, Meredith Rollo of FPL and Pam Calzadilla of Meals on Wheels with packed food bags.
