The community at Waterset by Newland, located in Apollo Beach, hosted its first spring break food drive, which benefitted Calvary Lutheran Church’s Community Cupboard, in affiliation with Feeding Tampa Bay. With its longtime partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay, in 2020, Waterset raised more than 10,000 meals that were distributed to families in Ruskin.
Lynda McMorrow, marketing manager at Waterset, shared how the spring break food drive came into fruition.
“With our close partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay, they informed us about an increased need for donations,” McMorrow said. “To add, we know there is a strong spirit of giving in Waterset and we knew our residents would be thrilled to help.”
Community residents, food bank representatives and Waterset community leaders had encouraged people to donate nonperishable food items at The Landing Café here at Waterset during the two-week food drive. A total of 2,500 nonperishable food items were collected. Needy families residing in the SouthShore area will be the ones receiving the donations through the Community Cupboard.
Jim Wise, administrator at Calvary Lutheran Church’s Community Cupboard, mentioned what the average number of families it serves.
“The Community Cupboard serves an average of 450 families per week,” Wise said.
Calvary Lutheran Church seeks volunteers as well as monetary donations that will assist with its overall cause with the Community Cupboard. Wise stated that Calvary Lutheran Church is a church that wants to give to the community. The Community Cupboard would also be considered one of the largest agencies in Southern Hillsborough County. With that in mind, close to 15,000 pounds of food items gets distributed per week.
McMorrow expressed what the food drive’s goal is.
“We know that food insecurity is a challenge faced by many in the Tampa Bay area and we are committed to assisting those in need,” she said.
“Overall, we just want to thank the community and residents for their support with this spring break food drive,” McMorrow said.
To learn more about Waterset by Newland, visit https://www.watersetfl.com. For those interested in volunteering or donating, visit https://www.calvaryalive.org.
