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Editor’s Note: The following open letter is from Hawley Botchford, Executive Director of the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida. The Food Banks of Florida were a lifeline for food, water and other essential supplies and support needed by thousands of Floridians during this year's hurricane season. You can support their great work with an on-line donation at www.harrychapinfoodbank.org.

To All Our Supporters:

Over the past couple of months, the Harry Chapin Food Banks have been tested beyond all expectations. Storm after storm ravaged Southwest Florida changing the lives of all in the path. Disaster response plans were never written for what we endured and yet we successfully met the challenge.

Special thanks are due to our dedicated staff; to America's Second Harvest, the Nations Food Bank Network, that immediately arranged for us to receive over forty tractor trailers of food from donors all across the country; to the hundreds of volunteers that worked sorting and organizing hurricane donations; and to United Way, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, Allstate, and the many generous individuals that gave financial support allowing us to keep the flow of emergency supplies moving to those in need.

The Harry Chapin Food Banks distributed well over one million pounds of emergency food to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Southern Baptist Convention, and other organizations for distribution to those most affected by the recent storms. We are proud this was accomplished without disruption of service to our regular agencies.

Finally, we want to thank Publix. Like the Harry Chapin Food Banks, Publix supports our community every day of the year. They support our mission with daily food donations, and in many other ways throughout the year. They are our partners against hunger.

Now it is time to re-stock our shelves to meet the growing needs of our agencies while we continue our ongoing disaster response. Once again, Publix is our primary partner. As they have for the past five years, Publix is sponsoring our Holiday Food Drive, our greatest source of local food donations.

Publix has prepared bags with the products we've requested. These will be offered on a special display at your local Publix throughout the holidays. Just include the bags with your regular shopping and then deposit the bags in the bin provided on your way out the door. Our volunteers will pick up your donation and transport it to our warehouses.

Last year we received nearly 320,000 pounds of wonderful food from the Publix bins. This year, with additional need for continued disaster response, we are hoping to significantly beat that record. Please support this drive knowing you are helping those in need not only through the holidays, but throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Hawley Botchford
Executive Director

Watch for the Next Issue of Circle! on March 7