SouthShore community Waterset by Newland recently wrapped up its annual fall tradition of collecting nonperishable food donations for a nearby food pantry, the Community Cupboard, in affiliation with Feeding Tampa Bay. Local families in the SouthShore area who are experiencing food insecurity directly see the benefit of Waterset’s efforts.
Waterset by Newland is owned in a joint venture partnership between North America Sekisui House LLC (NASH) and Brookfield Residential, and it is proudly managed by Brookfield Properties. These partners share a deep commitment to sustainable development practices and apply these core values to the vision, planning and development of their communities.
“The Waterset fall food drive is a wonderful event to bring awareness to the community and rally support around our neighbors who struggle with food insecurity. Feeding Tampa Bay has had a long-standing partnership with Community Cupboard in connecting the pantry food resources to support the families in the SouthShore area,” said Rhonda Gindlesperger, chief operating officer for Feeding Tampa Bay and Waterset resident. “The collaboration between Waterset, the Community Cupboard and Feeding Tampa Bay, along with the support of the residents of the community, shows the true spirit of what being a great community means.”
The heart of the fall donation drive is Waterset’s popular Concerts for a Cause music series, which features local bands and collects donations in lieu of admission. The concert series has been a beloved tradition since 2015. In 2020, Waterset also introduced ‘Pumpkins for a Cause,’ a pumpkin patch within the community that donates the proceeds to the Community Cupboard.
Last year, Waterset held Pumpkins for a Cause in early October and four concerts on Saturday nights in October and November. Both events were well attended and generously supported by Waterset residents and the Greater SouthShore community. All totaled, the 2023 fall food drive raised just shy of 12,000 meals in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, a time when the Community Cupboard sees a sharp uptick in the number of families in need.
“The Community Cupboard regularly serves in excess of 500 families per week,” said Walter Simonz, operations manager for the Community Cupboard. “With the generosity of the donations by your concert attendees, we were able to provide food for Thanksgiving bags to 874 families the week of Thanksgiving alone.”
Through its fall food drives, Waterset has donated over 94,000 meals to Feeding Tampa Bay and expects to surpass 100,000 meals in 2024. The fall food drive is only one facet of Waterset’s charitable outreach; every Thanksgiving, Waterset hosts a Turkey Trot to benefit its local public schools, and throughout the year Waterset collects donations for Dress for Success, Toys for Tots and other programs.
For more information, visit www.watersetfl.com.
