Riverside Homes Honors Its Commitment to Giving Back This Holiday Season With Hunger Fight

It may be local Jacksonville home builder Riverside Homes’ seventh consecutive year participating in Hunger Fight’s Annual Thanksgiving Community Outreach Event but every year continues to be more inspiring than the last. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of individuals that have been impacted by food insecurity has increased exponentially. Food insecurity affects 1 in 6 people and nearly 1 in 4 children. The truth of the matter is, hunger affects all social economic status and is not unique to any one particular region, state or city. Hunger has no boundaries.

“With so many impacted financially by this year’s coronavirus pandemic, hunger has become an issue for many who never imagined facing this problem. We realize now, more than ever, the need for our company and team to lend a helping hand to those struggling right here in our local community. Hunger Fight is the perfect way to do just that,” shared Matt Roberts, Riverside Homes co-owner.

About Hunger Fight’s Mission

Hunger Fight, a nonprofit agency headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, has dedicated its mission to ending hunger and illiteracy through the provision of nutritious meals and books to children, seniors and families in need by informing, engaging and mobilizing communities and partners. In addition to shelf-stable meals that are flavorful, nutritious and easy to prepare in boiling water, the packaged meals meet the recommended dietary guidelines and taste great! Meals include Beans-N-Rice, Cheezy Mac, and Brown Sugar Oatmeal that volunteers measure, fill and seal in bags and box. Our meals, which can be considered foundational meals and are delivered in a 4-serving package and, can be supplemented with meat, vegetables, chicken or fish to meet cultural and taste food preferences.

To address issues impacting a child’s success in school (hunger and lack of reading skills), Hunger Fight introduced Food for Their Bellies; Books for Their Brains, a two-pronged programmatic approach. The Feed the Backpacks program provides weekend nutrition for elementary aged children on the Federal Free and Reduced Meal plan, who receive food at school, but may be at risk for hunger over the weekend. The Feed the Need to Read program focuses on developing literacy skills in children ages birth to 5 and provides books each month to children at no cost to the families.

Hunger Fight’s Impact on the First Coast

Every weekend, Hunger Fight provides more than 14,800 children across the First Coast with a (4) serving nutritious meal through its Feed the Backpack program. In addition, Hunger Fight’s Feed the Need to Read program provides 2,348 preschoolers with age appropriate books, mailed to their homes, every month. Since 2012, Hunger Fight has packed 10,101,850 meals through its Feed the Backpacks program and delivered 103,392 books through its Feed the Need to Read program. This year, Riverside Homes’ support was able to provide 6,000 meals to elementary children and 200 age-appropriate books to preschoolers.

“Our entire Riverside Homes team and their families look forward to Hunger Fight’s Thanksgiving Outreach Event year after year. During this season of giving, it gives us no greater joy than to give back to the community where we live, serve, and work,” said Chris Wood, Riverside Homes co-owner.

Learn more about Hunger Fight and how you can join Riverside Homes in supporting their mission at HungerFight.org.