The Laker/Lutz News

MOW4Kids

Another expansion for Meals on Wheels

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Meals on Wheels for Kids Tampa Bay (MOW4Kids) is now being delivered in two more Pasco County areas — Zephyrhills and San Antonio. The Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger (TBNEH), a tri-county leader in hunger relief, research and program development, has added the expansion.

The MOW4Kids program was launched last March and was developed in response to COVID-19 school closures and remote learning, to serve children age 18 and younger, with lunchtime meals delivered to their homes by volunteers.

The program gives an alternative option for kids who are not able to access meal distribution sites throughout the county, and/or kids that have difficulty accessing open food pantries.

In addition to the expansion into Zephyrhills and San Antonio, the MOW4Kids service includes most of Pinellas County; Lutz, Tampa and Wimauma in Hillsborough County; and Dade City in Pasco County.

For the added areas, deliveries will take place out of Farmworker’s Self Help in Dade City, and the program is looking for volunteers to help pack boxes each week.

Volunteers who have a level 2 background check also are needed to help deliver Meals on Wheels for Kids on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting at 10 a.m., using their own vehicles. Routes take about an hour to complete.

To apply for MOW4Kids, visit MOW4Kids.com, or call 813-344-5837.

To sign up to volunteer, visit NetworkToEndHunger.org/volunteer/.

Published March 17, 2021

Meals on Wheels looks to expand

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The Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger (TBNEH), a tri-county leader in hunger relief, research and program development, is accepting applications for its 2021 Meals on Wheels for Kids (MOW4Kids) National Expansion Program.

Approved applicants can receive financial aid and technical assistance to develop and launch home-delivered meal programs in communities across the eastern United States.

When schools closed due to COVID-19, TBNEH launched MOW4Kids Tampa Bay to serve disadvantaged children who depend on school meals.

Now, the Network to End Hunger is offering a unique opportunity to organizations that are interested in launching community programs that deliver nutritious meals to transportation-disadvantaged and homebound families with children.

The MOW4Kids expansion is looking to provide support to at least 15 partner organizations in 2021.

“Meals on Wheels for Kids is an essential community program. We are excited to bring MOW4Kids to other communities across the country. The national expansion of this program is vital at this stage because the need is not going away. Kids are going hungry at home by not going to school. These children need our help now and we will do everything we can to make sure they have the nutritious meals they need,” said Caitlyn Peacock, executive director, in a news release.

Schools and community organizations can access the MOW4Kids Request for Proposal and Partner Application at MOW4Kids.org.

For additional information, visit NetworkToEndHunger.org.

The network also is accepting donations to help support the MOW4Kids National Expansion Program on its website.

Published March 03, 2021

Meals On Wheels for Kids expands

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The Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger (TBNEH), a tri-county leader in hunger relief, research and program development, will expand Meals On Wheels for Kids (MOW4Kids) into Lutz (zip codes 33548, 33549) and Safety Harbor (zip codes 33759, 34695, 33761), in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, respectively.

The program will begin delivering food to children attending school from home the week of Nov. 30. Deliveries will take place out of Mort Elementary School in Tampa and Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center in Safety Harbor, in partnership with the Nutrition Services and Transportation Departments at Pinellas County Schools and Hillsborough County Schools.

The Network’s innovative MOW4Kids program launched this past March, and was developed in response to COVID-19 school closures, to serve children (18 years or younger) with meals delivered to their homes by volunteers.

The program presents an alternative option for kids that are not able to access meal distribution sites throughout the county and/or kids that have difficulty accessing open food pantries.

Currently, MOW4KIDS serves Clearwater, Gulfport, Lealman, and St. Petersburg in Pinellas County; Tampa (33612 and 33613) and Wimauma in Hillsborough County; Dade City in Pasco County, and will continue to expand the program, to include Safety Harbor and Lutz.

Volunteers with level 2 background checks will help deliver Meals On Wheels for Kids on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 10 a.m., and will board public school buses, along with the bus driver, to then go out and deliver shelf-stable boxes of food and cold meal packs to children and families.

At the core of this program is nutritious food delivered to the homes of children and their families, and it will provide meals and shelf-stable groceries, including produce, as resources allow.

Children may experience an increase in overall nutrition, food security, and feelings of social connectedness from volunteers stopping by.
To receive meals delivered to your home, visit NetworkToEndHunger.org/mow4kids/, or call (813) 344-5837.

Volunteers are needed each week to help pack boxes and deliver meals on various days throughout the week out of Mort Elementary School in Tampa and Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center in Safety Harbor. Routes take about an hour to complete. To sign up, visit NetworkToEndHunger.org/volunteer/.

The Network also is currently accepting donations at NetworkToEndHunger.org, to help support the MOW4Kids program. A donation of $20 will provide a week of Meals On Wheels for Kids deliveries to children in need.

Published November 25, 2020