The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the local non-profit group Lake Support and Emergency Recovery, Inc. (LASER) to help fight hunger for area families who are struggling financially due to the economic hardships that have been brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Representatives with LASER recently coordinated with FEEDING FLORIDA, the state-wide network of food banks, as a partner of the State Emergency Management Operation ESF 6, to arrange for the delivery of several truckloads of pre-packaged meals to Lake County food pantries next week. These much-needed items will be supplied to the food banks for the immediate distribution to those in need at a time when unemployment numbers in Central Florida are staggering.
The shipments are scheduled to begin arriving on Tuesday, April 21 at the initial collection point, Florida’s Natural Growers warehouse in Umatilla (38851 State Road 19, Umatilla), and will then be distributed to the area food banks by the Sheriff’s Office.
Michael Tart, Chairman of LASER, states, “I’m excited to partner with FEEDING FLORIDA to meet the needs of Lake County. This supply will supplement food pantries all the way from the Four Corners area to Astor.”
“This is truly an unprecedented time for all of us and there are a lot of people in our community who are struggling right now,” said Lake Sheriff Peyton Grinnell. “We thank the great people with FEEDING FLORIDA for their very timely help; these shipments are going to bless many families.”
LASER, a non-profit, 501c3 organization, states on its website that the organization’s mission is to assist in the “…recovery from any disaster through a coordinated community-wide approach which provides for the immediate and long-term unmet needs of our citizens.” Anyone wishing to donate to the organization can do so by visiting its website at www.laserfl.com. For more information concerning LASER, Mr. Michael Tart can be reached at 352-241-2104.
FEEDING FLORIDA’s website states that its member food banks “…support more than 2,200 local charitable agencies, which provide food directly to individuals and families in need to ensure a hunger-free Florida. Each year, the Feeding Florida network provides food to the 2.8 million Floridians facing hunger, including over 850,00 children.”
