The Village of Wellington is currently in the midst of its annual Hometown Holiday Food Drive. The ongoing food drive is accepting donations through Friday, Nov. 16.
Although the village is home to some of the wealthiest residents in Palm Beach County, there are also a number of residents in need who will not have a joyous holiday season without assistance from the community.
A community’s greatness is measured by how it takes care of those in need, and the current food drive — as well as the upcoming Hometown Holiday Toy Drive — provide Wellington residents with a great opportunity to help their neighbors in need.
By donating to the food drive, residents might make a difference between a family enjoying a warm, healthy meal on their Thanksgiving holiday versus not eating at all.
Morgan Cintron, senior program coordinator for Wellington’s Community Services Department, is leading the effort to collect donations.
“The reason we do this drive is because there are underprivileged people in Wellington, and this is one of the ways the village likes to give back during the holidays,” Cintron said.
The village has partnered with several businesses throughout Wellington to establish food drop-off points at convenient locations. Drop off locations include the Wellington Municipal Complex (12300 W. Forest Hill Blvd.), Village Park (11700 Pierson Road), the Wellington Community Center (12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd.), the Community Services Office (1092 Wellington Trace), the Lake Wellington Professional Centre (12133 Ken Adams Way), Ultima Fitness and Schaefer Drugs in the Wellington Plaza, and all Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue stations in Wellington.
Food collected during the drive will be distributed at the Wellington Community Center on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. until noon. Residents in need of donations are asked to pre-register by calling (561) 791-4796 or visiting the Community Services Office at 1092 Wellington Trace. Pre-registration is currently ongoing and ends on Tuesday, Nov. 13.
The village is hoping residents will donate foodstuffs that are connected to Thanksgiving.
Among the most requested donations are boxed mashed potatoes, boxed stuffing mix, cornbread mix, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, and canned vegetables, such as green beans and corn.
The village has partnered with two local restaurants to raise money for the purchase of turkeys for the food drive. On Wednesday, Nov. 7 at Oli’s Fashion Cuisine (10610 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 20) and Monday, Nov. 5 at Don Chepo’s Taco Shop (10660 W. Forest Hill Blvd.), 10 percent of all sales will be donated to the food drive.
The food drive would not be possible without the help of several groups in the community. Among the organizations that the village has partnered with on the food drive is the Wellington Interfaith Council, the Christopher Aguirre Memorial Foundation, the Mall at Wellington Green, Florida Crystals, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Wellington Regional Medical Center, the Solid Waste Authority and RC Hatton Farms.
For more information about the food drive, contact Cintron at (561) 791-4102 or mcintron@wellingtonfl.gov.
