The Harvest Drive is a nonprofit organization that works to address hunger in Broward County, Florida by providing food assistance to families in need. It educates children about community needs and promotes volunteerism. Each year, it assists over 2,000 families during Thanksgiving and hundreds more throughout the year by collecting and distributing food, clothing, and other necessities. The organization relies on the support of schools, community groups, businesses, and volunteers to run food drives and distribute items to families referred by school social workers.

1.
Facts About Hunger in Broward County
The
Harvest DriveChildren Helping Children
Children Helping
Children
Educating
children
and
creating
a
consciousness
about
the
needs
of
their
community;
promoting
altruism
and
giving
them
the
opportunity
to
help
others
are
the
cornerstone
of
the
Harvest
Drive.
Harvest
Drive
believes
in
encouraging
the
concept
of
children
and
adults
working
hand-­‐in-­‐hand
to
assist
families
in
Broward
County
with
gifts
of
food
and
other
necessities
during
the
Thanksgiving
holidays
and
throughout
the
year.
Purpose of the Harvest Drive
The
Harvest
Drive
was
founded
in
order
to
teach
our
children
that
they
can
and
must
give
back
to
their
community.
Working
with
the
Broward
County
Schools,
the
Harvest
Drive
now
assists
more
than
2000
food
insecure
families
during
the
Thanksgiving
season
and
hundreds
more
throughout
the
year.
Our
motto
“Children
Helping
Children”
comes
to
life
as
thousands
of
children
working
directly
with
school
and
community
leaders,
business
partners
and
philanthropic
organizations
collect,
sort,
bag,
pack
and
distribute
much
needed
groceries,
clothing,
toys
and
household
items
to
families
referred
by
Broward
County
School
social
workers.
20.5%
of
children
in
Broward
County
are
food
insecure,
meaning,
80,090
children
go
to
bed
hungry.
A S S I S T I N G F A M I L I E S S I N C E 1 9 9 2
15.0%
of
the
Broward
County
population
is
food
insecure,
with
266,920
people
not
knowing
from
where
they
will
get
their
next
meal.
$3.12
is
the
average
price
per
meal
in
Broward
County.

2. How to Harvest a Drive
The
Harvest
Drive
is
a
multi-­‐faceted
year
round
project.
The
first
and
most
recognized
aspect
of
the
Harvest
Drive
is
our
Thanksgiving
distribution
of
a
week’s
worth
of
groceries
and
either
a
gift
card
or
the
fixings
for
a
complete
Thanksgiving
meal
to
more
than
2000
families.
Approximately
900
of
these
families
also
have
the
opportunity
to
shop
for
free
for
gently
used
clothing,
books,
toys,
shoes
and
household
items
at
our
Harvest
Drive
Boutiques.
This
year
we
will
have
13
distribution
sites
located
at
Broward
County
public
schools
throughout
the
County.
More
than
180
public
schools
will
participate
in
the
collection
of
non-­‐perishable
food
and
families
from
all
collecting
schools
will
have
the
option
to
refer
families
to
receive
groceries.
Families
are
referred
by
social
workers
and
information
is
strictly
confidential.
The
Harvest
Drive
is
a
grassroots,
community
based
organization.
Rotary
clubs,
civic
organizations,
community
business
partners,
corporations,
private
schools,
synagogues,
churches,
girl
scouts,
boy
scouts,
sports
teams,
local
government
officials,
police
and
firemen
all
come
together
to
ensure
that
our
families
receive
their
much
needed
groceries
and
household
necessities.
Each
distribution
school
serves
families
local
to
that
school
creating
a
unique
opportunity
for
everyone
to
join
forces
to
help
others
in
their
own
backyard.
Our
recipient
students
and
their
families
face
food
insecurity
throughout
the
year.
The
Harvest
Drive
seeks
to
increase
our
community
outreach
by
running
several
smaller
Spring
Staples
Drives
and
by
running
2
year
round
pantries
available
to
families
in
crisis.
Our
spring
drives
provide
approximately
8
bags
of
non-­‐
perishable
groceries
and
our
pantries
provide
a
large
box
of
much
needed
staples.
As
in
the
fall,
families
are
referred
by
social
workers
and
information
is
strictly
confidential.
BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

3. Food Pantries Open to Assist Broward County
School Families Throughout the Year
2
One
of
the
Harvest
Drive’s
founding
principles
is
to
ensure
that
children
identified
as
hungry
have
their
needs
met
so
that
they
can
learn
and
grow.
With
the
motto
“Children
helping
Children”,
the
Harvest
Drive
not
only
works
to
improve
the
lives
of
the
hungry
children
and
their
families,
but
also
to
stimulate
growth
within
student
volunteers.
The
students
never
fail
to
impress
with
their
desire
and
compassion
for
the
cause.
Harvest Drive Boutiques
Our
team
of
Harvest
Drive
Worker
Bees
sets
up
“boutiques”
at
three
locations
in
the
fall
and
one
in
the
spring.
Recipient
families
have
the
opportunity
to
select
from
gently
used
donated
clothing,
toys,
books,
and
household
items.
Dedicated
volunteers
work
year
round
to
collect
and
organize
quality
goods.
Our
boutique
team
is
also
available
to
assist
families
in
crisis
throughout
the
year.
The
consequences
of
fire,
floods
and
sickness,
like
hunger
are
not
seasonal.
As
part
of
our
commitment
to
“pay
it
forward”,
every
year
after
our
fall
events
we
pass
on
all
remaining
items
to
other
local
charities.
We
then
start
the
process
all
over
again.
Harvest
Drive
remains
a
100%
volunteer
charity
staffed
by
“worker
bees,”
students,
and
community
members.
1
The
Harvest
Drive
has
extended
its
reach
and
proudly
supports
ongoing
food
pantries
at
both
Lauderdale
Manors
Family
Resource
Center
in
Ft.
Lauderdale
and
Western
High
School
in
Davie.
With
this
continuous
support,
the
Harvest
Drive
assists
Broward
County
School
social
workers
in
aiding
families
in
crisis.
A
basic
box
given
to
those
in
need
consists
of
staples
including
juice,
pasta,
pasta
sauce,
rice,
beans,
vegetables,
soup,
tuna,
peanut
butter,
jelly,
cereal,
boxed
milk
and
more.
The
Harvest
Drive
not
only
provides
students
with
much
needed
food
but
also
hundreds
of
new
backpacks
at
the
start
of
the
school
year.
We
all
remember
how
exciting
it
was
to
start
the
year
with
new
school
supplies
and,
unfortunately,
there
are
so
many
students
in
Broward
County
that
cannot
afford
to
purchase
backpacks
and
the
supplies
that
the
teachers
require
each
year.
Working
in
conjunction
with
civic
organizations
and
business
partners,
we
are
able
to
provide
students
with
the
excitement
and
the
materials
necessary
to
start
the
school
year
off
successfully.
Starting the New School Year with New Backpacks
HARVEST DRIVE PROGRAMS

4. Needs List
HARVEST DRIVE’S
Non-­‐perishable
Items
needed
(Average
for
a
family
of
5):
2
–
Peanut
Butter
4
–
Canned
Tuna
or
Meat
8
-­‐
Canned
Assorted
Veggies
2
–
Jelly
in
Plastic
Container
2
–
Large
Juice
1
–
Large
Laundry
Detergent
2
-­‐
Cereal
2
–
Macaroni
and
Cheese
1
–
Dish
Soap
1
-­‐
Oatmeal
3
–
Pounds
Rice
1
–
Shampoo
2
–
Pancake
Mix
4
-­‐
Pounds
Pasta
1
–
Large
Toothpaste
1
–
Pancake
Syrup
3
–
Spaghetti
Sauce
(no
glass)
2
–
Soap/Body
Wash
3
-­‐
Stuffing
2
-­‐
Pack
of
Cookies
1
-­‐
Deodorant
3
–
Canned
Gravy
5
–
Canned
Fruit
1
–
Package
of
Napkins
4
–
Canned
Cranberries
4
–
Canned
Beans
1
–
Box
of
Aluminum
Foil
4
–
Canned
Sweet
Potatoes
8
–
Canned
Soup
Perishable
Items
needed
(Average
for
a
family
of
5):
1
–
10-­‐14
lb.
Turkey
1
–
Dozen
extra
large
eggs
1
-­‐
Pie
1
-­‐
½
Gallon
OJ
concentrate
1
-­‐
pkg.
Margarine
sticks
1
-­‐
Parmalat
Milk
1
-­‐
Loaf
of
bread
–
white/wheat
1
-­‐
pkg.
Dinner
rolls
1
–
5
lb.
Bag
apples/oranges
The
Harvest
Drive
is
a
non
profit
501(c)3.
If
you
would
like
to
donate
to
our
organization,
or
for
more
information
on
volunteering
opportunities,
visit
www.harvestdriveflorida.com