Hollywood groups battle hunger

  • 2018-08-18
There are so many mango trees in Hollywood, Florida, and they produce so much fruit, that a lot of it is wasted. A number of people in Broward County are food insecure, and it occurred to Ellen Mitchell, who is a member of the Hollywood Women's Club (HWC), a volunteer organization, that there had to be a way to get the fruit to those who needed it.

This year, Mitchell founded the Hollywood Fresh Produce Project (HFPP), which gives unwanted mangoes to the HWC's partner, the Community Enhancement Collaboration (CEC). The CEC will distribute the mangoes to people in the Washington Park area of Hollywood.

Mitchell said she became aware of the problem years ago, when she wondered how there could be so much fresh fruit available, and people were still unable to find and enjoy it. She noted that the area food banks do an outstanding job in providing processed, boxed, and canned foods, but these products tend to have a lot of salt, and people need fresh produce for a balanced diet.

Mitchell found that there were no local groups collecting and distributing the fruit, so she decided to start one. Very quickly, people started contacting her to help pick fruit, or give mangoes to the CEC, which now is able to provide fresh fruit to almost 1,000 people.

Managers of programs like this could hand out Business Cards so people can spread the word about their efforts.
Get a Free Quote for Business Cards