United Homecare and Florida Power & Light teamed up Wednesday to provide hurricane meal kits for seniors.
Volunteers loaded box after box into cars at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens. Each person in line received three boxes of non-perishable food and each box included breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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Carlos Martinez is the president of United Homecare, which operates in South Florida. The nonprofit was one of the organizations in charge of the event.
“After a hurricane, it usually takes the federal government or the state government about 36 hours to bring in assistance. And the idea [of the giveaway] is that they’ll be self-sustaining for three days until further assistance comes around," Martinez said.
Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris was also at the drive.
“If they’re able to pick them up now they’ll have them stored in their homes. They’ll be in a position where they can have at least something during those trying times of an emergency," he said.
Bernard Carr is a deacon at The Fountain Church in Miami Gardens. He helped pick up 150 boxes to distribute to seniors in his congregation.
“It means a lot. It means a lot knowing that we’re helping others, serving others. We serve God by serving others. So it’s a pleasure to be able to help those in the community,” Carr said.
The drive was funded by a grant from FPL and volunteers distributed a total of 600 boxes of food.
