CLERK OF COURT & COMPTROLLER

(Original Publish Date 4/21/2017 7:51:00 PM)

Many children in our community don’t look forward to the weekend. For them, getting out of school on Friday can mean 68 hours of hunger.

A non-profit group called End 68 Hours of Hunger has launched a food drive to address that problem and employees of the Clerk’s Office have joined in.

This week, more than 800 food items donated by our employees were donated to the group, the first of an ongoing effort to address this critical need.

“I am so proud of the generous donations our employees made to this worthy cause,” said Clerk of Court & Comptroller Pat Frank. “But I am not surprised. Our employees are dedicated to helping the public. “

Frank learned about the nationwide project during a recent event sponsored by the Hillsborough Bar Association, led by attorney Carol LoCicero, local coordinator of the Tampa campaign. The Clerk then alerted employees, through emails. They responded with enthusiasm.

 

The project is aimed at addressing a little-known reality: About half of school children go home every weekend with no guarantee of having anything to eat until they return to school on Monday and receive free breakfast and lunch. Those 68 hours are crucial to the health and well-being of children.

Eventually these children experience a “fear of hunger” that affects their behavior as much as physical hunger affects their bodies. More than 16 million children nationwide struggle with this type of food insecurity

Through the efforts of End 68 Hours of Hunger and participating charities, children in need are given a pre-packed backpack every Friday with two breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners and snacks for the weekend.

 

The group will accept donations next month just before the summer vacation begins. Future dates to be determined.  Anyone interested in participating in the program can email tampafl@end68hoursofhunger.org or go to the End 68 Hours of Hunger Tampa Facebook Page.