Van Wezel Partners with Impact100 SRQ for Mayor’s Feed the Hungry Food Drive

January 22, 2021 – Sarasota

The Van Wezel is proud to announce a partnership with Impact100 SRQ to host the Mayors’ Feed the Hungry food drive on January 30, 2021. The event will be held in the Van Wezel’s parking lot from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and members of the community are encouraged to donate perishable and non-perishable food items for those in need during that time.   

Jane Gill Watt, President of Impact100 SRQ commented: “This year we have seen people in our community struggling and they need our help more than ever. We all have a role to play in ensuring everyone in Manatee and Sarasota counties has adequate food and can lead a healthy life. Impact100 SRQ is thrilled to partner with the Van Wezel and Mayors’ Feed the Hungry to help meet our community’s essential needs by filling the truck with perishable food items.” 

Through a generous grant, Impact100 SRQ funded the cost of the refrigerated truck that enables Mayors’ Feed The Hungry to collect perishable items which otherwise would not have been available to food pantries and would have inevitably been thrown away. As a result, food pantries will be receiving a much greater variety of fresh food including milk, vegetables and meats for the families they serve.  

Mayors’ Feed the Hungry is also working with the National PTSD Service Association to collect dog food for pets of veterans and members of the community during this food drive on January 30. Pets are an important part of so many families, and members of this community are struggling to feed their four-legged companions due to the COVID-19 crisis. The National PTSD Service Association matches highly-trained service dogs with qualified veterans and first responders with PTSD throughout southwest Florida. 

To learn more about the drive and how to get involved, click here. 

ABOUT THE VAN WEZEL PERFORMING ARTS HALL
A true pioneer in the cultural development of Sarasota, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall presents spectacular Broadway musicals, top national and international performers, popular comedians and a compelling mix of classical and dance productions. Owned and operated by the City of Sarasota, the Van Wezel celebrated its 50th Anniversary during the 2019-2020 season. The theater’s Education and Community Engagement Department serves over 35,000 students, teachers and family members each year, teaching them in, through and about the arts. To learn more, visit www.VanWezel.org. 

ABOUT IMPACT100 SRQ
Impact100 SRQ is one of more than sixty chapters worldwide and joins its sister chapters in embracing the local collective giving model. Formed in 2017, Impact100 SRQ brings together a diverse group of women that annually fund transformational grants to local nonprofits in both Sarasota and Manatee Counties. The model is simple. At least 100 women each give a $1,000 tax deductible donation, and together they collectively award grants in increments of at least $100,000 to local nonprofits in five focus areas: Arts & Culture, Education, Environment & Recreation, Family and Health & Wellness.  Each member’s annual donation strengthens the power of giving and funds the innovative projects that make a high “Impact” and sustainable difference in our community. To learn more, visit https://impact100srq.org. The 2021 Impact100 SRQ Membership Drive is underway. Click here to become a member.  

ABOUT MAYORS’ FEED THE HUNGRY
Since its beginning in 1987, the Mayors’ Feed the Hungry Program has raised over 4 million dollars, feeding over 765,000 members in need throughout the local communities. This volunteer organization launched with the mission to collect funds and distribute them during the holiday season, and has since expanded to include food drives, community feedings and food gift cards for those in need. To learn more, visit https://mayorsfeedthehungry.org/. To watch the Mayors’ Feed the Hungry Finalist Video for the Impact100 SRQ grant supporting this initiative, click here.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PTSD SERVICE ASSOCIATION
The National PTSD Service Association, Inc. is a nonprofit agency that provides service dogs by clinical referral at no cost to veterans and public safety personnel in need, empowering them to live fulfilled lives. With 22 suicides a day to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the National PTSD Service Association is providing a solution that works: highly-trained service dogs for veterans and first responders with PTSD. To learn more, visit https://www.nationalptsdserviceassociation.org/.