COMMUNITY SERVI MEANS GOOD BUSIN
Making a difference in the lives of children , one meal at a time
Teresa Smith , Founder of VCWWC ( Volusia County Women Who Care ( center ) with Amy Knox and Carrie Torres with Provision Packs
Rick Meyer at the Provision Packs Lift for the Kids
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Live beyond yourself . This ( volunteering with Provision Packs ) is telling a child they matter and are worth the basic needs that other kids may take for granted .”
Back in 2015 , Carrie Torres founded Provision Packs , a 501 ( c )( 3 ), in response to a need she saw while volunteering in the elementary school her children attended in the city of Ormond Beach . In 2020 it was expanded to meet the needs in Flagler County schools . “ When I was volunteering , I learned that in Volusia County alone one in three children are facing hunger . I couldn ’ t stop thinking about children who may have little or no food outside of what is provided at school ,” Torres said . “ I was raised by a single mother myself and I remember lean times . I also remember how hard it was for her to ask for help , and so at Provision Packs all we require is a permission slip signed by a parent or legal guardian turned into the school and children can take packs home .” Since 2015 Provision Packs volunteers have packed 245,497 shelf-stable meals for enrolled kids to take home each weekend .
Provision Packs Founder Carrie Torres
Preserving privacy and respect for participating families prevents Provision Packs from collecting data required to apply for most grants . Instead , Torres has turned to the generosity of local patrons , leaders and businesses for funding and support .
Currently , Torres and her team of volunteers serve elementary school-aged children , but expansion is always on her mind . It ’ s tricky because of the stigma kids feel as they grow older when picking up food , so Provision Packs is working on a way to make food available as the kids move up in grades . “ I know that the need doesn ’ t go away in their homes . We are working with local colleges too , where the problem of hunger persists for these students ,” Torres said . Partnerships with Produce Project and U . S . Hunger enable Provision Packs to elevate the nutritional
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