Author: jessa

(Naples, Fla.) — After more than a decade of service as Pan-Florida Challenge, the Naples-based non-profit organization will now be known as Feeding Dreams. This transition includes anew brand identity and website, marking the start of an exciting new chapter in its history.

Since 2014, the organization has provided more than 10 million meals to at-risk children throughout Florida. Feeding Dreams will distribute 2.5 million meals this school year and has set an ambitious goal to double the number of meals provided to hungry children over the next two years.

Feeding Dreams distributes Power Packs, weekend backpack meals, to children at more than 45 schools, afterschool programs, and community-based organizations throughout Florida. Feeding Dreams is making a tangible difference in the health and academic performance of elementary school children. Data shows that Feeding Dreams Power Pack students earn higher grades, achieve better attendance, visit the school nurse less frequently, and receive fewer behavior infractions. Power Pack students at Highlands Elementary School had 54% fewer absences. Power Pack students at Avalon Elementary School increased their grade point averages by 9% and decreased clinic visits by 80%.

Executive Director Jeri Goetz says, “We’re not just filling stomachs—we’re creating a pathway to success.” Executive Director Jeri Goetz says, “We believe the new name, Feeding Dreams, accurately captures the organization’s mission of nourishing children and providing them with the opportunity to thrive and build a self-sufficient future. We are grateful to our long-time supporters and look forward to continued

About Feeding Dreams: The mission of Feeding Dreams to combat childhood hunger and malnutrition that affect one in five
children in Florida. Through grants, fundraising efforts, and school partnerships, we deliver highly nutritious meals to chronically hungry children. Helping to break the cycle of poverty, these meals lead to better health and educational performance, laying the foundation for a healthier, self-sufficient future for our children.

(Naples, Fla.) — Feeding Dreams announces a new charitable gift of $20,000 from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation. The funds will be used to supply Power Packs, week- end backpack meals, to 90 children at Hancock Creek Elementary School in Fort Myers, Fla. The purpose of the Weekend Backpack Meals for Hungry Children program is to replace the calories children miss over the 68-hour hunger gap between Friday’s school lunch and Monday morning’s school breakfast. Feeding Dreams provides a “best in class” set of weekend backpack meal offerings including 13 kid-friendly, shelf stable meals designed to meet or exceed the USDA recommendations for calories, carbohydrates, and protein for elementary school aged children for two days over the weekend. Since 2014, Feeding Dreams has distributed more than ten million meals to hungry children.

Executive Director of Feeding Dreams, Jeri Goetz says, “68 hours is a long time for a child to go without eating and kids can’t learn on an empty stomach. During the week, students eat breakfast and lunch at school. Over the weekend they often go without eating enough or at all. Our meals fill that 68 hour weekend hunger gap. We know that Power Pack students earn better grades, achieve better attendance, receive fewer behavior infractions, and visit the school nurse less frequently. We’re grateful to Suncoast Credit Union Foundation for supporting the lives and dreams of at-risk children in our community.”

Suncoast Credit Union, Florida’s largest credit union, founded the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation to promote the education, health and emotional well-being of children in the community. Each time a Suncoast member uses their debit or credit card, the credit union donates two cents to the Foundation to fund local initiatives. Since its inception in 1990, the Foundation has raised and donated over $45 million. “Nutrition is essential to children’s development, providing the fuel their brains need to learn and the energy to thrive throughout the day,” said Kourtney Berry, Executive Director, Suncoast Credit Union Foundation. “We firmly believe that no child should ever face uncertainty about their next meal, and we are honored to support Feeding Dreams in their mission to eliminate childhood hunger, especially over the weekends.”

About Feeding Dreams: Feeding Dreams is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to to end childhood hunger for the one in five children who go hungry in Florida. Through fundraising and partnerships, Feeding Dreams  supplies weekend backpack meals to chronically hungry children. Providing a pathway out of poverty through educational success, Power Pack students earn better grades, achieve better attendance records, receive fewer behavior infractions, and visit the school nurse less frequently. Founded in 2014, Feeding Dreams partners with elementary schools throughout the state to distribute weekend backpack meals, also known as Feeding Dreams Power Packs and Family Weekend Back- pack Meals. These meals contain nutritious food items that meet or exceed the USDA’s dietary recommendation for elementary school aged children. To date, Feeding Dreams has provided more than ten million meals to hungry children – all with the help of annual fundraising events, grants, sponsorships, and benefactors.

About Suncoast Credit Union: Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 8th largest in the United States based on membership, and the 10th largest in the United States based on its $18.5 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Sun- coast Credit Union currently operates 78 full-service branches and serves more than 1.2 million members across Florida. As a community credit union, anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in Suncoast Credit Union’s service area is eligible for membership. In 2021, Sun- coast Credit Union’s field of membership was expanded to include public K-12 teachers, college educators, and educational support staff from all of Florida’s 67 counties. Suncoast is passion- ate about community support. Since its founding in 1990, the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $45 million to organizations and initiatives that support the health, education, and emotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit union serves. For more information, visit suncoast.com or follow us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.