Over 20,000 people fed this Thanksgiving thanks to Florida students
By Jolie Rodriguez
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STUART, Florida (WPBF) — Over 20,000 people in Martin County will be fed this Thanksgiving thanks to Elev8hope’s Compassion in Action.
A culmination of local organizations, students, the school district and law enforcement makes the Thanksgiving basket distribution possible every year.
While it’s the 13th year, it still brings tears to CEO Rinamarie Shpiruk’s eyes.
“This is the power of youth. We give them an empty basket every year and they fill it for a classmate who’s in need,” Shpiruk said.
It only took Martin County students four weeks to help put food on the table for 20,000 people this holiday.
Each basket comes with Thanksgiving sides and a turkey put together by students for their peers.
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Shpiruk adds that the accomplishment came at an $80,000 push, but the impact is priceless.
“They don’t feel at times that they are seen. But we see them, and we give the light to the kids to solve social issues that are going on in our community right now,” Shpiruk said.
Partnering with social workers in the school district and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, they can locate families in Martin County who can use extra holiday cheer this season.
“We still have that contact with the community where they know we’re sincere. They know we want to help,” said Sgt. Joseph Angelico of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office community policing unit.
Angelico added that events like these not only help families but also help departments like theirs better serve their community.
“This gets me in the mood for the holidays right here. This sets the tone,” Angelico said. “This is an everyday for us, pretty much because we are community outreach. We work a lot with Rina and Elev8hope as far as other charitable organizations.”
More information on Elev8hope’s outreach and resources can be found on their website.
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