Tables of bagged groceries at Center of Hope at Emmett Reed on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. More than 200 families received bags of canned and dry goods, chicken broth and sports drinks during the Center of Hope’s grocery giveaway on Tuesday. (Photo by Oliver Green, Family Support Services, oliver.green@fssnf.org)
AT LEAST 200 FAMILIES SUPPORTED BY CENTER OF HOPE
GROCERY GIVEAWAY ON JUNE 13
Center of Hope will bring another food bank to 32209 later this summer
Jacksonville, Fla. (June 14, 2023) – At least 200 families living in Jacksonville’s 32209 ZIP code received a little extra support Tuesday with a grocery giveaway, provided by the Center of Hope at Emmett Reed.
Manned by Center of Hope staff and volunteers from partner agencies – including Family Support Services, Partnership for Child Health, Hope Florida, and Jacksonville Housing – the Center handed out hundreds of bags filled with canned food items, boxes of pasta, cereal, chicken broth, breakfast pastries and more to residents whose cars wrapped around the block hours ahead of the event’s noon starting time. By 1 p.m., all items had been distributed to the community.
Brittany Bryant, Community Engagement Specialist with Family Support Services, and Jada Hunter, Center of Hope’s Executive Director of Community Reinvestment, place groceries in a resident’s car on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, during the Grocery Giveaway at the Center of Hope at Emmett Reed Community Center. The Center of Hope gave away hundreds of bags of canned and dry goods to 32209 residents to help address food insecurity in the neighborhood they serve. (Photo by Oliver Green, Family Support Services, oliver.green@fssnf.org)
Tuesday’s grocery giveaway was prompted in part due to the postponement of the Center’s Juneteenth celebration, a result of the temporary closure of the Emmett Reed Community Center. “We wanted to do something special for the 32209 community to let them know we haven’t forgotten them and we’re still here for them,” said Jada Hunter, Executive Director of Community Reinvestment at Center of Hope and FSS. “We’re so very happy we were able to at least address a dent in … food insecurity.”
While the Center has supported giveaways during the holidays in the past, this is their largest event to date. At the end of the month, Hunter says, Center of Hope is partnering with Feeding Northeast Florida to bring a mobile grocery store to 32209, allowing families to choose their own items from a pantry of donated items. Interested families will need to call the Center of Hope at 904-265-6787 as this pantry will require pre-registration and spaces are expected to fill up quickly.
Some of Center of Hope’s recurring programs, such as weekly Diaper Distribution, have already adjusted for the temporary closure; Center staff are also currently planning an updated Juneteenth/end-of-summer celebration for late July. For more information about the Center’s community programs or for assistance, call Center of Hope at 904-265-6787. Updates will be added at CenterofHopeFL.org and Facebook.com/CenterofHopeFL when available.
Jada Hunter (center), Center of Hope’s Executive Director of Community Reinvestment, poses with Center of Hope staff Tuesday, June 13, 2023, during the Grocery Giveaway at the Center of Hope at Emmett Reed Community Center. The Center of Hope gave away hundreds of bags of canned and dry goods to 32209 residents to help address food insecurity in the neighborhood they serve. (Photo by Oliver Green, Family Support Services, oliver.green@fssnf.org)
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About the Center of Hope
Center of Hope is a community collaboration operated by Family Support Services. The Center’s focus is to promote positive outcomes of safety and well-being for all children and families in our community’s most vulnerable areas, with a focus on the 32209 ZIP code, through the development and delivery of comprehensive services and supports. For more information about the Center of Hope, go to CenterofHopeFL.org. For more information about Family Support Services of Duval & Nassau Counties, go to www.familysupport.org.
