Island Country Club Gives Grant

Our Daily Bread Food Pantry (ODBFP) announced it is the recipient of a $50,000 grant from the Island Country Club Charitable Foundation. In addition to a portion of this grant supporting purchases of healthy food for distribution through our Pantry programming, it will also fund the second year of a joint pilot program initiated to specifically help Marco Island food-insecure students (K-12) and their families during the summer season. This program is designed to help children who receive free breakfast and lunch during the school year continued access to nutritious meals.

As noted by The Island Country Club Charitable Foundation Board, “We recognize the importance of providing food to families and children in need during the summer months when school is not in session. The grant we awarded Our Daily Bread Food Pantry helps accomplish this goal. Our partnership with ODBFP serves a valuable purpose in the community.”

ODBFP Executive Director, Evelyn Rossetti-Ryan, Ed.D. said, “As one of our long-standing grantors, the Island Country Club Charitable Foundation has played an irreplaceable role in our efforts to nourish our neighbors in need, especially the children in our community. Summer can be an especially difficult time for the workforce families we serve who provide the essential services that propel our economy. Too many experience smaller paychecks during the off-season, while also being hit with the need to provide two additional meals each day for their children while not in school. This program provides a solution for Marco Island families facing the agonizing choice between feeding their children or having the resources to remain housed.”

Food insecurity hits our kids the hardest. “Children who are food-insecure are more likely to experience poor diet quality and unhealthy weight gain. They are at a higher risk for chronic disease, poor mental health, poor academic performance, impaired growth and development, and unfavorable health behaviors in adulthood.” Feeding America 2023 Hunger Health Equity, A Closer Look Report.