News Release
For more information, please contact:
Backpack Buddies OC c/o Kelli Marks
Phone: 386-316-2959
Email: BackpackBuddiesOC@gmail.com
MEDIA ALERT
Backpack Buddies teams up with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Amazon for food giveaway for the Easter Holiday!
Thursday, April 6, 2023
Starting 9am while supplies last!
PFC Emory L. Bennett Veterans Memorial Park
1365 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, Orange City, FL 32763
Orange City, FL – Backpack Buddies is hosting a food giveaway just in time for the Easter Holiday on Thursday, April 6th at PFC Emory L. Bennett Veterans Memorial Park, 1365 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, Orange City, FL. The event will open at 9am and continue until 11:30am or while supplies last.
Volunteers will be distributing to Volusia County residents who are underserved or just can’t afford the food prices with the current state of our economy. Recipients will drive up, pop open their trunk and volunteers will place several perishable and nonperishable food items in the trunk of the vehicles.
The giveaway is made possible through Backpack Buddies Volunteers and their partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, County of Volusia, City of Orange City, The Oyster Bar of Orange City, Firehouse Subs of Orange City, and Amazon of Deltona will be bringing 50 volunteers.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida will bring a semi-truck of over 30,000 pounds of food to be distributed. There will be perishable and non-perishable food items that could include frozen meats, dairy products, produce, pastries, and many other food products. The program is open to all Volusia County residents only. Amazon has shut down their warehouse for maintenance and has agreed to bring their employees to serve the community.
“Prices of food keep escalating, as well as everything else, which makes it difficult for Volusia households to be able to purchase food. It’s became a choice of buying food or paying their mortgage or rent,” stated Backpack Buddies President Kelli Marks. This giveaway covers them for about two weeks’ worth of food”, Marks commented.
Also, Marks stated, we are extremely grateful for our partnerships with so many of our community members and businesses who have stepped up to supply critical resources for those most in need in our community. Food insecurity is not going away anytime soon. Backpack Buddies has stepped in to fight food insecurity and has already fed over 10,000 Volusia County Residents in just one year!
Backpack Buddies held its last food giveaway in Orange City was in November 2022, distributing over 30,000 pounds of food to over 700 families.
Backpack Buddies was founded in September of 2019 by Kelli Marks, who also serves as Orange City Councilwoman.