​Before the sun came up on Saturday morning, cars stretched across the parking lot at Governor’s Square Mall. Families waited quietly in the dark, hoping to receive boxes of food from Second Harvest of the Big Bend. Some had even arrived the night before, determined not to leave empty-handed. By morning, there were hundreds of cars lined up, a striking image of just how great the need has become in our community.

Across the Big Bend, food insecurity continues to rise, made worse by recent reductions in federal food assistance programs. Our region is home to some of the highest rates of hunger in Florida. Many of those affected are the working poor, people earning just enough to stay above the poverty line but not enough to cover the basics of rent, child care, and groceries. Among them are veterans, seniors, children, and individuals living with disabilities.

These are not distant statistics. They are our neighbors, the people beside us in traffic, at school drop-off, and at the park. And for many, the difference between hunger and hope comes down to a simple act of generosity.

Second Harvest of the Big Bend, A FULL SUMMER’s trusted partner agency, continues to meet that need head-on. Their team and volunteers are working across 16 counties to ensure that every family who turns to them can put food on the table. We are deeply grateful for their tireless efforts and for the volunteers this weekend who reported to work before 5:30 AM to help make it possible.

At A FULL SUMMER, our mission is rooted in this same belief: that no one in our community should go hungry, especially when school cafeterias close and families face the added burden of providing every meal at home. We are proud to support Second Harvest’s work and invite you to do the same.

Every dollar given to Second Harvest of the Big Bend provides four meals to a neighbor in need.

If you have been wondering how to make a difference, this is a powerful place to start. Together, we can help ensure that our community has not just "a full summer", but a full season, a full year, and a future where every neighbor is nourished and seen.

Donate to Second Harvest of the Big Bend

Ms. Mashayla West is a 5th grade teacher at Astoria Park with a big heart. Ms. Claudia Williams is Astoria Park’s Building Supervisor and she has a big heart, too. They know that before children can learn they have to be fed. And they want students to eat the same quality of food that they feed their own families. Food that not only feeds the body, but feeds the soul. The kind of food that says, “I love you.”
We want to tell you about these two incredible women and what inspires them to feed children at Astoria Park Elementary School.
Several years ago, Ms. West had a little girl in her class and noticed that this child’s address records indicated she was homeless. From that day forward, Ms. West ordered extra food for lunch and shared it with this child. They would eat a meal together and talk. Ms. West also remembers cleaning out some old student notes from the days when she taught high school. She noticed that a lot of the notes were thanking her for sharing her food. One note said, “Dear Mrs. West, Thank you for sharing your hot wings with me. I wasn’t being greedy, I was hungry.”
Ms. West said that God reminded her that she’s been feeding her students her entire career. She felt called to feed all of the hungry children at Astoria Park. So, she contacted someone who she knew would help start a food pantry, Astoria Park’s Building Supervisor, Claudia Williams.
Ms. Williams said she had been wanting to start a pantry for a while and when Ms. West contacted her, she knew she had a partner that shared her vision. In addition to being the school’s building supervisor, Ms. Williams is also a foster parent. She knows firsthand that a lot of the students at school are hungry and in need of clothing or shoes. She was already supplying Astoria Park’s Clothes Closet with items. Ms. Williams recalled the time she saw a child whose shoe sole was detached. She quietly took him aside, led him to the school’s Clothes Closet, and allowed him to pick out two brand new pairs of shoes, one to put on immediately and the other to take home in his book bag.
Ms. West and Ms. Williams wanted to provide nutritious food to Astoria Park’s children. They envisioned having meat, vegetables, and fruits in addition to the traditional canned food and cereals. So, they contacted Second Harvest of the Big Bend. Second Harvest knew they’d need a refrigerator/freezer. That’s when A FULL SUMMER was contacted. We furnished a refrigerator/freezer that allowed Astoria Park’s pantry to receive the variety of food Ms. West and Ms. Williams wanted for their kids. Since 2023, A FULL SUMMER has also helped to sponsor Astoria Park’s food pantry.
No child should go hungry. Ms. West and Ms. Williams work extra hours at no additional pay to help ensure no child at Astoria Park goes hungry. When you donate to A FULL SUMMER, you are helping Ms. West, Ms. Williams, and countless other teachers, building supervisors, and generally good people help feed our children. If you haven’t already, please consider a donation to A FULL SUMMER. Our Snack Pack helps feed kids during the summer months, but our sponsored food pantries feed kids all year long. Donations may be made at www.afullsummer.org or you may mail a check made payable to A FULL SUMMER to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301 Attn: A FULL SUMMER. Thank you!
By the way, the day that Second Harvest notified Ms. West that Astoria Park’s pantry had been approved was the last day the homeless little girl was in her class. This little girl still spends holidays with Ms. West, and she believes that God used this little girl to inspire her to feed children. Angels come in many forms….

If you haven’t already, please consider a donation to A FULL SUMMER. Our Snack Pack helps feed kids during the summer months, but our sponsored food pantries feed kids all year long. Donations may be made above, or you may mail a check made payable to A FULL SUMMER to:
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St. John’s Episcopal Church
Attn: A FULL SUMMER. 
211 North Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301 

​In front of Pineview Elementary School is a Help Shelf. The school’s custodian fills it every day with food items and every day it is emptied by members of the Pineview community who struggle with food insecurity. They include the grandmother who is caring for her grandson because her daughter suffers from mental illness. The mother of six who needs a little help at the end of the month when her food assistance runs out. And the grandmother whose social security check covers the rent, but not the food that she and her three grandchildren she cares for need.

A Full Summer aims to highlight members of our community who share our mission of ensuring that "no child goes hungry". ​Carmen Conner is the principal of Pineview Elementary School. Her day-to-day work at Pineview extends far beyond overseeing school operations. She, the staff, and the teachers at Pineview see the potential of the young children they serve. They want them to be educated, exposed to the larger world, and optimistic about life's opportunities. They want them to have a chance to break out of the cycle of poverty and become anything that they want to be. But, before any learning can happen, children have to be fed.

When we asked Principal Conner what she would like the greater Tallahassee community to know about local challenges with food insecurity she said, “There is a population in need of quality food on a consistent basis. They work hard and they’re doing their best, but sometimes their best is not good enough. They need a way to provide a meal. They need their community’s support.”

You can also help support our mission to end child hunger in our community by sharing this post on social media. You can also volunteer to support students at Pineview Elementary or other public schools in Leon County through the mentorship program. Our schools are in need of mentors who can devote their time to helping a child. For example, Pineview Elementary has a program which allows kind citizens to champion the success of one student with a commitment of one student lunch per month.

Today, we want to shed light on an important issue that affects the students of Sabal Palm Elementary School, located in 32304, the poorest zip code in the state of Florida. It's a statistic that demands our attention and concern: 96% of the student population at Sabal Palm lives below the poverty line. This reality underscores the critical need for our support.

Amidst the challenges faced by these children, there is a beacon of hope at Sabal Palm: the Hope 24/7 Food Locker. This initiative has been instrumental in providing assistance to the students and the community at large. The food locker, conveniently located outside the school's fence, offers 20 compartments, each containing a 30-pound box of food, providing up to 25 meals. What sets it apart is the ability of each compartment to function as a refrigerator or a freezer. This means that the community members who access the locker can receive fresh produce, frozen vegetables, fruits, and meats—essential resources in a neighborhood classified as a food desert.

The success of the Hope 24/7 Food Locker relies on the support of generous individuals like you. This past year, A FULL SUMMER helped fund the traditional food pantry and we also covered the monitoring fee for the Hope 24/7 Food Locker- and it's our goal to do it again! Our annual contribution of $4,095 ensures that the lockers maintain safe temperature ranges and covers any necessary servicing.

Thanks to the collective efforts of compassionate souls like yourselves, members of the Sabal Palm community have access to nutritious food—food that we would gladly provide for our own families. Your commitment to alleviating childhood hunger is a testament to your compassion and empathy. Together, we can continue to make a difference and ensure that no child goes hungry.

Thank you for standing with us in support of the remarkable children who face the daily struggle of hunger. Your contribution brings hope and nourishment, laying the foundation for a brighter future.

Dear A FULL SUMMER Friends,

One month from TODAY we will have our 2023 A FULL SUMMER Snack Pack!  Thank you ALL for your support!  We are a group of people who saw a need to help local food insecure children and we're doing something about it!

We had such an overwhelming response to our Snack Pack, that we increased our team numbers from 20 to 25!  That means we'll pack 6,250 snacks instead of 5,000 this year!

That also means our fundraising goal is now $34,595.  Here's how our funds are allocated:

• $4,095-pays for the monitoring fee for the Sabal Palm Elementary School community's Hope 24/7 Food Locker for one year
• $12,500 pays for 25 teams at A FULL SUMMER Snack Pack
• $18,000 is allocated to the 9 Leon County School Food pantries A FULL SUMMER helps to support

In the two months since we have started fundraising, we have raised $25,989.52!  That's wonderful!!!  Thank YOU!! We know we can reach our goal!  

To those of you who have donated, THANK YOU!  If you'd like to help and haven't, please consider a donation through our PayPal page or by mailing a check made payable to A FULL SUMMER to St. John's Episcopal Church, 211 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL  32301, Attn:  A FULL SUMMER. And please like us on Facebook and share this email and our website with you friends, coworkers, and family.

Here's a story about Mashayla West and Claudia Williams at Astoria Park Elementary's pantry so you can see what your donation supports:  Astoria Park Elementary School's Pantry.  

THANK YOU!
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