Jacksonville, FL –In the spirit of the season of giving, the Jacksonville Jaguars, PepsiCo, Publix and Feeding Northeast Florida are partnering to provide food for 1,000 families, seniors and veterans in time for the Christmas and holiday season. This is the seventh year the team has helped donate food to families during the holiday season.
Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns and safety Johnathan Cyprien, along with Jaxson de Ville, members of The ROAR of the Jaguars Cheerleaders, representatives from the Jaguars, PepsiCo, Publix and Feeding Northeast Florida will gather in the West US Assure Club at EverBank Field to distribute the first 250 of the holiday meals to local non-profit organizations. They will in-turn deliver the food directly to area families, seniors and veterans. The remaining 750 holiday meals will be delivered directly to non-profits by Feeding Northeast Florida for distribution.
Jaguars President Mark Lamping noted, "Our support of Feeding Northeast Florida through the Taste of the NFL at EverBank Field provides thousands of meals for families throughout the year. However, it is especially important for the Jaguars to be of help to struggling families, seniors and veterans during the holiday season. We're blessed to make Jacksonville our home and it's a privilege to do our part through Feeding Northeast Florida to help make the holidays a little brighter to those less fortunate in our community."
Volunteers from Feeding Northeast Florida assembled the food and filled Publix reusable holiday bags. Each of the meals has fresh produce, including potatoes, carrots, apples and oranges; along with corn, green beans, stuffing, gravy mix, corn muffin mix, PepsiCo food and beverage products, candy canes, Publix Holiday cookies and a $10 Publix gift card to use toward a purchase of a turkey, ham or other food items. Dwayne Stevens, Media & Community Relations Manager at Publix, noted, "Publix works year-round to provide food for hungry children and families. It is especially important at this time of year that we can partner with the Jaguars and PepsiCo to help ensure that every family can gather together for a warm meal during the holidays."
"We're proud to partner with the Jaguars, Publix and Feeding Northeast Florida to help provide meals to those in need," said Rich Panner, vice president, PepsiCo North America Beverages, Southeast region. "PepsiCo is committed to supporting the Jacksonville community through programs like this.
The Jaguars Foundation coordinated with the following non-profit organizations to distribute the food: 5 Star Veterans Center, Andrew Jackson High School, Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, The Bridge of Northeast Florida, Cathedral Residencies, CIS Nassau County, Community Connections, Exchange Club Family Center, Episcopal Children Services, Family Promise, Fresh Ministries, Girls Inc., Heart for Children, The Independent Living Resource Center, MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, Matthew Gilbert Middle School, Metro Kids Konnection, Neighbor To Family, The Sanctuary on 8th Street, St. Gerard Campus, the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, Touchstone Village at the Youth Crisis Center and The Wounded Warrior Program.
"The Jacksonville Jaguars organization continues to be a valuable community partner with Feeding Northeast Florida, especially when it comes to our efforts to end hunger in the 17 counties we serve," said Feeding Northeast Florida President and CEO Bruce Ganger. "They support our agency year-round, but we especially appreciate their commitment to the fight against hunger during the holiday season."
