Several weeks ago, the St. Johns County Homeless Coalition delivered 18 Publix bags to help Marsh Creek’s Spoonbill Neighbors to kick off its annual Thanksgiving food drive. Each empty bag was pre-designated for one of 18 homeless families in their care. The plan was to collect enough selected food items to, when paired with donated turkeys, make a meaningful Thanksgiving for these families going through hard times.
Marsh Creek more than answered that bell. In the space of a few weeks, our generous community collected and delivered a whopping 59 bags! Those bags, delivered Monday, were jammed full of Thanksgiving dinner items for the 18 families, and much, much more.
“Thank you to all Marsh Creek Residents who contributed to making Thanksgiving a brighter holiday for the less fortunate in our larger community”, said Louise Nelson, who helped organized the food drive with Melody Ness.
What happens with the 41 additional bags of food?
Today, Thanksgiving Day, that surplus is also shared with 2 single veterans and 7 single seniors. The remaining food items will be set aside to stock the Homeless Coalition’s on-site food pantry to feed those experiencing day-to-day hunger, as Executive Director, Debi Redding, explains:
If you’ve never been to the SJC Homeless Coalition campus out off Masters Drive and witnessed first-hand the wonderful work performed by the staff and volunteers, here is a peek. The house below, in the old Railroad style of home familiar to early St. Augustine, is just one piece of the temporary housing and life support provided to needy families by this organization.
Debi Redding gives a short walk through one of the homes on the Homeless Coalition campus:
The key to understanding the Homeless Coalition’s mission, and its success, lies in the word “TEMPORARY”. The objective is to get distressed families back on their feet. You will see why in the PDF below.
Who are the people helped? How do families reach the Homeless Coalition? How long do they stay? What are the criteria for help? Remember that there is a vast coalition of charities working below the radar to help the needy in St. Johns County. The Homeless Coalition is one of the foremost making a big impact by giving suddenly-needy families a lifeline. Here is how it happens:
Well done, Marsh Creek!