Sunshine Matters

Now in its fourth year, the VISIT FLORIDA Charity Committee organized the “This Side vs. That Side” canned food drive challenge to support America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend.  This healthy competition – with an ice cream social and bragging rights for the year on the line for the winning side – splits the VISIT FLORIDA office in half to see which side can collect the most non-perishable items for the local food bank.

As the head of the VISIT FLORIDA Charity Committee, I am proud to share that this year’s food drive brought in 1,254 pounds of canned items – an increase of 483 pounds over last year’s total.  While “That Side” may have won the ice cream social, the real winners are the thousands of men, women and children in the Big Bend area who turn to Second Harvest in their time of need.

One in six Americans experience hunger on a regular basis.  America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend provides service to eleven counties in the region.  Nearly 115,000 people live in poverty in those counties and, of those, more than 29,000 are children.  The food donated by VISIT FLORIDA staff will be distributed through a network of more than 135 partner agencies to help those in need.  These agencies provide such services as soup kitchens, food pantries that distribute food weekly, and residential programs for the homeless.

VISIT FLORIDA staff not only had fun competing against each other, but we take great pride in doing our part to improve the lives of our neighbors by helping create a stronger community.  During this special time of year, we encourage you all to give back to your communities.  Collectively, the Florida tourism industry can have a huge impact on the people living in our state.  By combining our efforts toward a worthy cause, Florida’s future will be brighter than ever.