Assisting Hands Naples Hosts Hunger Project to Feed Seniors

Assisting Hands Naples hosted a Hunger Project on Saturday, December 2nd to help feed hungry seniors in Collier County. Franchise owner Tricia Winiecki spearheaded the project.

Assisting Hands Home Care Naples partnered with local companies including Solaris Healthcare of North Naples and Imperial, Terracina Grand Senior Living and the Villas at Terracina, VITAS Healthcare and Barbara Ringold, RN, GCM owner of SeniorCare Family Services to raise money for the meals. Assisting Hands Miami-Date and the corporate office also made donations. The combined donations of these groups totaled $7,500.

Together with staff, family and friends, these organizations gathered 100 volunteers at the Golden Gate Senior Center in Naples, Florida. Each volunteer was given a t-shirt and a place on the assembly line to begin the Hunger Project.

Hunger Projects are coordinated by Feeding Children Everywhere, an organization that takes a “hands on” approach to fighting hunger. With an assembly line setting, Feeding Children Everywhere creates an energetic environment that makes the event both fun and rewarding.

“We packed red lentil jambalaya,” said Winiecki. “These meals are packed with the vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber that seniors need.”

In one hour, the volunteers packaged 20,000 meals. The meals were distributed throughout southwest Florida to Meals of Hope and the food pantries at the Golden Gate Senior Center and New Hope Ministries.

This is the first year Assisting Hands Naples is hosting a Hunger Project, but it will not be the last.

“My hope is that next year we will be able to package 1,000,000 in an hour!” said Winiecki. “We are just getting started this year.”

Lane Kofoed, President and CEO of Assisting Hands, hopes this can be a model for other Assisting Hands offices in the future.

“I would like to thank the Naples office and especially Tricia Winiecki for her vision in putting together this hunger project to feed the seniors in their community,” said Kofoed. “Thank you to all who participated and who have sponsored their time and resources for this event full of holiday cheer.”