One of the great aspects of the holiday season is not only is it a chance to be thankful for what and who one has in their lives, but it also presents several opportunities to give back to the local community.
One of those ways was a turkey and Thanksgiving food item distribution on behalf of Winn-Dixie and a partnership between the Winn-Dixie Gives Foundation and First Coast YMCA.
Thanksgiving food items, which included a turkey, sack of potatoes and a reusable bag full of other meal items were handed out to 500 military families that were already pre-registered for the event.
The mobile food pantry event took place in the parking lot at the Winn-Dixie located in Neptune Beach on Nov. 19 and was a major success as a mixture of holiday cheer and patriotism surrounded the event.
“Every year we do this, and its always cool because this is such a big military city and we’re all so interlinked with the military here,” said Shawn Sloan, regional vice president for North Florida Winn-Dixie and Harvey’s Supermarkets. “Coming out and just seeing the gratitude and being able to thank them for their service is something that we all just really enjoy doing.”
The location was the same as in recent years and is an ideal spot in many ways, especially with its proximity to Mayport Naval Station.
Seeing the cars lined up, even flowing on to Atlantic Boulevard waiting to go through the line was a sight to see and something that never gets old, according to Sloan.
And it caught the eyes of one man, who once he found out what was going on, walked up after shopping and asked how he could donate toward the cause.
There are many different causes Winn-Dixie is involved in through its foundation and to learn more people can go to www.winndixie.com/community.
Currently taking place through Dec. 17, Winn-Dixie stores around town are doing the Hunger Donation Program, where customers can donate or round up their grocery bill at the registers, which will go toward helping fight hunger in the area through partnerships with Feeding America and other organizations.
“We try to make it simple for people to give back and all our cashiers frontend know how to help you if that’s something you’re interested in,” Sloan said.
