>>JENNIFER READY: DOCTOR >>JENNIFER READY: MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR FAMOUSLY
SAID EVERYBODY CAN BE GREAT
BECAUSE EVERYBODY CAN SERVE
WHILE YOUR NEWS. 4 JAX. WE
WANT TO PAY TRIBUTE TO HIM AND
HIS TEACHINGS WITH SIMPLE ACTS
OF SERVICE. THIS MONDAY, THE
LOCAL STATION IS HOSTING FOOD
BANK TO HELP STOCK THE SHELVES
AT THE FEEDING NORTHEAST
FLORIDA FOOD BANK, THOUSANDS
OF OUR FAMILIES AND OUR
COMMUNITIES DON’T HAVE EASY
ACCESS TO HEALTHY MEALS.
THAT’S WHY ON MONDAY, FROM 8
IN THE MORNING UNTIL 6 IN THE
EVENING, WE’LL BE COLLECTING
NONPERISHABLE FOODS HERE IN
OUR FRONT YARD. JOINING US NOW
IS SUSAN KING, THE PRESIDENT
AND CEO OF FEEDING NORTH SEA,
NORTHEAST FLORIDA. THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS
MORNING.
>> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
HAVING ME. IT’S EXCITING TO BE
HERE AND EXCITING ONCE AGAIN
TO PARTNER WITH THEM, BUT THEN
A J C T AND STAR WJXT.
>> AND VERY EXCITING A REPLAY
OF WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR.
>> SO FIRST OF ALL, WHAT KIND
OF FOOD IS NEEDED?
>> SO WE’RE ALWAYS IN NEED OF
SHELF STABLE THAT WOULD BE,
YOU KNOW, BEANS AND RICE AND
CANNED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES,
THINGS THAT FAMILIES USE EVERY
DAY THAT WE DON’T NECESSARILY
ALWAYS HAVE TO OUR RECOVERY
SYSTEM. SO THINGS THAT CAN
LAST AND CAN BE DISTRIBUTED
THROUGH OUR 300 AGENCY
PARTNERS COVERING ALL OF
NORTHEAST FLORIDA.
>> WOW. SO HOW HAS THE
PANDEMIC AFFECTED THE NEED FOR
FOOD?
>> YOU KNOW, FEELS LIKE WE’VE
BEEN DOING THIS FOR SUCH A
LONG TIME, BUT WE DISTRIBUTED
APPROXIMATELY 17 MILLION
POUNDS OF FOOD. ONE OF THOSE
THINGS THAT HARD TO WRAP YOUR
HEAD AROUND IN 2019 AND LAST
YEAR APPROXIMATELY 32 MILLION
POUNDS. IT’S 27 MILLION MEALS
THAT WERE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
IT’S IT’S MIND BOGGLING. YOU
KNOW, WE SEE IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE ECONOMY. BUT WE ALSO SEE
SO MUCH INFLATION AND SO MANY
IMPACTS YOUR PIECE EARLIER
ABOUT AND THE COST RENT
INCREASES IN OUR COMMUNITY,
REALLY IMPACT THE FAMILIES
THAT ARE SERVING. SO EFFORTS
LIKE THIS ARE SO WELCOME AND
SO APPRECIATED BY, BUT NOT
ONLY OUR ORGANIZATION, BUT ALL
OF THOSE OF ALL OF THIS, TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES THAT
WERE SERVING EVERY WEEK.
>> THAT’S SO TRUE. IS THEIR
GOAL THAT WE WANT TO TRY AND
MEET ON MONDAY FOR HOW MUCH
FOOD WE WANT TO DONATE 10, YOU
KNOW, BE ABLE TO SERVE TO THE
COMMUNITY.
>> YOU KNOW, I’M I’M GOING
HONESTLY SAY THERE’S NO SUCH
THING AS TOO YOU GUYS END AND
THIS COMMUNITY DID AN
EXTRAORDINARY JOB LAST YEAR.
REALLY? IT’S SO SURPRISING TO
US. IT WAS NEARLY 2 TRUCKLOADS
FOOD AND IT WAS IT WAS
WELCOME, APPRECIATED AND
IMMEDIATELY DISTRIBUTED OUT
INTO THE COMMUNITY. SO, NO,
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS TOO
MUCH. WE ARE GRATEFUL. AND AND
THERE IS THAT THERE IS AN
EMPTY TABLE WAITING FOR EVERY
DONATION.
>> WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, SEASON WHEN YOU
HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A
LONG TIME AND I’M JUST CURIOUS
WITH INFLATION AND EVERYTHING
THAT YOU MENTIONED, WHAT HAS
BEEN THE TOUCHING PART OF
BEING INVOLVED IN, YOU KNOW,
THIS FOOD DRIVE HELPING SO
MANY FAMILIES IN NEED.
>> I WOULD SEE THE OUTPOURING
FROM THE COMMUNITY LAST YEAR
WAS REALLY IT WAS OVERWHELMING
TO US. WE JUST DID NOT EXPECT
THAT IN THE MIDST OF COVID
THAT THAT MANY PEOPLE WITH
WOULD GO SHOP WOULD MAKE THE
TRIP TO THE STATION WITH
GENEROUSLY GENEROUSLY DONATE,
BUT OVER AND OVER AGAIN
THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, WE’VE
SEEN HIT THIS COMMUNITY JUST
STEPS UP AND WE AND WE KNOW
THAT HUNGER IS IS JUST UPS.
THE PROBLEM WE CAN SOLVE WHEN
THERE ARE SO FEW THAT SEEMS
SOLVABLE. WE CAN DO THIS. WE
CAN ALL DO OUR PART TO HELP
OUR TO HELP OUR NEIGHBORS WHO
ARE SUFFERING FOR VARIOUS
REASONS. AND THERE FROM
VARIOUS PRESSURES. SO, YOU
KNOW, IT’S SOMETHING WE CAN
ALL DO AND WHAT BETTER DAY
THAN MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY OF
WE’RE VERY EXCITED THAT YOU
GUYS ONCE AGAIN PARTICIPATING
WITH US AND LOOK FORWARD TO 2
WHAT TO MONDAY.
>> ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU
SO MUCH, SUSAN KING FOR
JOINING US AGAIN. THIS HAPPENS
ON MONDAY, RIGHT IN THE
MORNING TO 6 IN THE EVENING.
BRAND IS GOING TO BE THERE.
YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD.
LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. SO
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS