Marco Lutheran Church Foundation Grant

Marco Lutheran Church Foundation has awarded $30,000 to Our Daily Bread Food Pantry (ODBFP) to specifically help feed hungry children in Marco Island through their Healthy Kids K-12 School Programming. This investment will provide an estimated 10,909 pounds of nutritious food (4,363 individual servings) to be distributed as healthy supplemental “Snack Packs” specifically for the unduplicated food-insecure children served daily at Marco Island Charter Middle School (100), Marco Island Academy (100) and Tommie Barfield Elementary (60).

“We are deeply grateful for the long-standing generosity of the Marco Island Church Foundation and our shared commitment to the most vulnerable among us,” states ODBFP Executive Director, Evelyn Rossetti Ryan, EdD. “As noted in recent Feeding America research, food insecurity hits our kids the hardest and can have life-changing effects. 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. The current economic uncertainty surrounding availability of federal and state funding levels to continue essential school (K-12) Breakfast and Lunch programs significantly increases these risks for the low-income (K-12) students we serve in Collier County.”

“Through our partnership with Our Daily Bread, Marco Lutheran Church is blessed to share Christ’s love in practical ways—serving our neighbors, meeting real needs, and reminding our community that no one walks alone,” shared Pastor Jim Thelan.