Feeding the Hungry will host its second annual fundraising event, the Sharing the Love & Luck Bash, on Saturday, March 14 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Wellington National Golf Club, located at 400 Binks Forest Drive in Wellington.
Feeding the Hungry was launched in 2009 by Omar Portocarrero, a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in West Palm Beach, after visiting Casa del Monte, a mobile home community with roughly 670 units and more than 5,000 people, including 1,000 kids, desperately in need of assistance.
Through the years, Portocarrero and his merry band of volunteers have grown into a dedicated team of 15 people who tirelessly deliver food every Wednesday to local mobile home communities in Palm Beach County, as well as additional “life necessities,” such as clothing, furniture, appliances, toys, electronics and home goods that are donated from local organizations, Realtors and members of the community.
In 2011, they were able to purchase a double-wide trailer, and thus began Feeding the Hungry Inc., a nonprofit corporation with the mission statement: “We seek to share the love of Jesus Christ by meeting the spiritual and physical needs of human beings deprived of nourishment and opportunities.” The goal was to establish trusting relationships with the residents of Casa del Monte in order to improve their quality of life.
Feeding the Hungry has since evolved into serving six communities by distributing food to more than 2,000 families a month. In addition, they provide tutoring for school-age children and ESOL classes to adults.
Through the generous contributions donated from last year’s Sharing the Love & Luck Bash raising roughly $27,000, Feeding the Hungry was able to purchase meat for every week of distribution this past year, as well as give even more food on the average of 45 pounds per family. The nonprofit also grew from distributing 20,000 to 25,000 pounds of food per week, serving 400 to 600 families weekly, and increased from five to six locations. As it stands, the group helps families in Belle Glade, Riviera Beach, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach.
In addition, Feeding the Hungry recently announced its 2020 partnership with CARP, West Palm Beach’s newly renovated treatment center offering affordable housing recovery and programs to homeless and indigent Palm Beach County residents suffering from alcoholism and addiction. Feeding the Hungry will be assisting in providing food for its residents as they move through the 90-day program.
Ultimately, the nonprofit is striving for a capital campaign to acquire a larger facility. They have begun conversations with Lake Worth city officials about a building for such a facility and have had talks with the Quantum Foundation regarding a potential grant to assist with remodeling.
The community is invited to join Feeding the Hungry for an incredible evening of dancing, food, drinks, silent auction and entertainment on Saturday, March 14 in Wellington. For more info., visit www.feedingthehungryinc.org.
