By Karin Davis-Thompson
With a commitment to ending childhood hunger and improving nutrition for children, the Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon is sponsoring a fundraiser to support two local nonprofits working to address both issues.
The organization is promoting a matching fundraiser for ECHO and Seeds of Hope. ECHO’s mission is to assist Hillsborough County residents in crises with emergency food and clothing as well as access to programs that may help them find stability in life. Seeds of Hope works to provide various forms of assistance to local residents in need.
The idea is simple, the group will match donations given to the two organizations up to $5,000.
Mike Daigle, a member of the Kiwanis Club, said the club wanted to find a way to make its donation grow and have a greater impact. He said the club made an immediate donation of $2,500 to each organization, then announced that it would donate matching dollars up to another $5,000.
“Rather than just donate $10,000, we decided that if we could connect with those in our community maybe we could spur them to give $20, $50, $100 or more,” Daigle said. “Then we could increase our impact.”
Daigle, the club’s foundation president, also said that while many nonprofits are continuing to do their best to service clients, resources are stretched thin as donations slow with a number of people in the community finding themselves out of work.
“Just like many other nonprofits, their resources have been stretched to the breaking point,” he said. “Cash donations are way down and their pool of volunteers has shrunk.”
The matching donation fundraiser ran until May 31. The two organizations will split the matching funds once the campaign ends.
The website also has more information about the Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon, its programs, mission and initiatives.
