Neal Land & Neighborhoods Donates $10,000 to Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee
Meals on Wheels Donation May 2020
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – April 27, 2020 – Neal Land & Neighborhoods, a Manatee and Sarasota-based master-planned community developer, has made a $10,000 donation to Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee to address the increased need for meals amid COVID-19.
“Although we are unable to accept volunteers at this time, food or monetary donations are greatly needed and appreciated to meet this increased demand,” said Kelly Sivyer, Development Administrator and Grant Writer, Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee. “Many of the people being fed have never had to ask for help from a food bank before. Many have been laid off or furloughed and have nowhere else to turn.”
Since the start of the virus outbreak, Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee has seen a 30% increase in meal requests from vulnerable seniors. Throughout the month of March, over 18,900 meals were provided to home-bound residents in Manatee County.
The organization is also providing food to families via its Food4Families program, which has already supplied 34,500 meals to families. In addition, Meals on Wheels PLUS is providing food to nearly 100 food pantries and partner agencies across the county, which have seen a 20% increase in food being withdrawn.
Neal Land & Neighborhood’s $10,000 donation will benefit the Food4Families program, which is enough to provide 500 bags of food containing 15,000 meals to residents in need.
The gift helps kick-start donations to the organization via the upcoming Giving Challenge on April 28-29 through the Sarasota Community Foundation. Donations in the amount of $25-$100 are matched by the Patterson Foundation during the Giving Challenge.
“We found it impossible to sit back while members of the community struggle under the burden of COVID-19. We’re happy to be able to offer support for the great work of Meals on Wheels PLUS,” said John Neal, President of Neal Land & Neighborhoods. “The need for nutritious food in our community is unfortunately great during this challenging time.”
To give, food donations can be shipped directly to Meals on Wheels PLUS via Amazon Smile or Quinnd.com. The organization has wish lists of items on both websites. Secure gifts can also be made online at www.mealsonwheelsplus.org/donate. A $20 gift can feed a family of five 30 meals and a $50 donation can feed a senior for an entire week
Neal Land & Neighborhoods is a Manatee and Sarasota, Florida-based master-planned community development organization led by John A. Neal. The company incorporates smart master-planning and public infrastructure solutions to create the next level of elite community living in Southwest Florida. By working with carefully selected new home builders, Neal Land & Neighborhoods aims to establish thriving, sustainable, livable and ecologically sensitive communities throughout Manatee, Sarasota and Hillsborough counties. Neal Land & Neighborhoods currently owns or controls several thousand acres of land entitled for more than 9,000 future residential homes and the supporting mixed-use commercial and retail.