2022 GIVING CHALLENGE: BE THE ONE
The Giving Challenge is an exciting 24-hour giving event taking place from Noon to Noon on April 26th and 27th that connects local nonprofit organizations with donors and community members to build relationships, support diverse causes, and create enduring impact in Manatee county. All donations made during the Giving Challenge are unrestricted gifts to Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee. Transform your impact through meaningful relationships and partnerships, all while strengthening your potential reach, through the 2022 Giving Challenge.
The Deerbrook Charitable Trust has issued a $100,000 Challenge Gift for support raised in March, April, and May to feed those in need in our community! Please make your gift today to help us #FeedManatee! Click here for more information.
TROPICAL NIGHTS, A ROYAL AFFAIR
The 28th Annual Tropical Nights, A Royal Affair, benefiting Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, was a tremendous success. The event raised over $250,000 to support the programs and mission of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee.
We were happy to return to an in-person event to celebrate with our guests. Due to COVID, the last time the event was held in-person was 2019. The evening featured a silent and live auction, paddle raise, amazing entertainment, and excellent food and drinks! In addition, we were able to celebrate our 50th anniversary with all who attended.
The event also featured virtual tours of London from GaryOnLondon as well as a special appearance from her majesty Queen Elizabeth II, impersonated by Silvia Day.
We appreciate all the sponsors, donors, and volunteers that made this year’s event so memorable. And we look forward to seeing everyone again for the 2023 Tropical Nights on Saturday, March 25th.
WE NEED FOOD! PLEASE HOST A FOOD DRIVE!
The Food Bank of Manatee is an independent Food Bank and the only Food Bank based in Manatee County. That means we rely 100% on the support of our community to make sure the shelves are always stocked! With the rising costs we are all experiencing for housing, gas, and food, many families are turning to our network of food pantries for assistance. We need businesses, organizations, neighborhoods, faith groups and families to help feed food-insecure families. You can greatly impact our community by coordinating a Food Drive! Click here to register your Food Drive!
Have food to donate? You can drop off at any Manatee County Goodwill or Public Library location. Just look for the yellow barrel. You can also donate here at The Food Bank of Manatee. Help us #FeedManatee
If you are heading up North, please consider donating your unopened items to The Food Bank of Manatee. Click here for more information.
In March, We Marched For Meals
During the month of March we celebrate Meals on Wheels PLUS and the seniors we serve as we March for Meals together. March for Meals provides a wonderful opportunity to engage public officials in our community, garner media attention, and help raise public awareness for the nutritional and social needs of seniors. Local elected officials and community leaders participate in our Home-delivered Meals program by delivering meals to our clients and bringing awareness to our mission. Our sincere thanks to all who participated!
Every day, we are meeting the immediate needs of our clients by providing nutrition and compassion. One of our clients, Raymond, is 96 years old and finds the Home-delivered Meals a necessity in his life. “After I pay the bills, I must have three or four dollars left,” he said. “You guys help everybody,” he added.
Raymond says that the food is very good and balanced and loves the meat meals. He also loves the fresh produce and says that the people delivering the meals are so sweet and kind. Raymond says our Home-delivered Meals are necessary for local homebound seniors and that, without them, they don’t know how they could get by.
If you would like to support Raymond and other homebound clients, you can volunteer or donate by clicking here.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
An enormous thanks to The Deerbrook Charitable Trust for providing a $100,000 challenge gift that enabled us to match $50,000 in donations at our Tropical Nights event and match $50,000 in donations made towards Sack Summer Hunger and during the Giving Challenge. Donations like these greatly impact our efforts to #FeedManatee.
If you are interested in learning more about our current funding needs, there are opportunities for you to help, too! Click here to find out how!
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
It was great having students from the Braden River High School Wrestling Team volunteer at Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee. One of the values that their coach imparts on them is “service”. These young men cleaned the Transportation Buses and vans and the food delivery trucks, inside and out. One of our drivers, Marisa, said her bus had ‘never been so clean! They cleaned every nook and cranny!’ The boys also cleaned The Food Bank of Manatee collection barrels to prepare for some upcoming Food Drive events, moved picnic tables, and cleaned out a shed, all in two hours of volunteering!
Inspired by the Braden River High School Wrestling Team’s story and interested in volunteering? You can become a volunteer today by registering here.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Thanks to all the generous people and businesses that donated items for our Tropical Nights Live and Silent Auctions. As a result, we were able to raise over $37,000 towards helping #FeedManatee. A list of the auction donors can be seen by clicking here.
If you are interested in learning more about our future auctions and funding events, there are opportunities for you to help, too! Click here to find out how!
