The Pine Manor Improvement Association is now one step closer to its goal of reducing food insecurity in Pine Manor, thanks to a $7,500 donation from The Fort Myers Metro-McGregor Kiwanis.
The funds will be used on the electrical and foundation work for a new refrigeration system for fresh fruits and vegetables in the Pine Manor Community Center’s food pantry. The expansion of the food pantry is also funded by American Rescue Plan Act funding through Lee County, and will include walk-in cooler/freezer and commercial grade shelving.
The Pine Manor Improvement Association has a three-pronged approach to combating food insecurity for the over 3,000 low-income or at-risk residents it serves, offering a community garden that residents can tend to, culinary classes for residents to get certification to work in a restaurant setting, and the food pantry itself.
Distribution of the fresh, yet perishable, food grown in the garden was hampered by the lack of cold storage, something that Pine Manor Improvement Association Board President Stan Nelson says is key to bridging the gap in what the association is able to offer residents of the community.
“With this donation, we are able to move forward with the expansion of the association’s food pantry and provide fresh fruits and vegetables to those in need,” said Stan Nelson, Pine Manor Improvement Association Board President.
The food from the garden is also used in the Pine Manor Improvement Association's culinary arts training program. The program provides low-cost culinary training to those seeking to learn how to prepare healthy meals and ready them for entering the workplace. The culinary training program has graduated more than 100 students since 2014.
This isn’t the first time the Fort Myers Metro-McGregor Kiwanis has helped out the Pine Manor Improvement Association, previously installing a Farmstand growing tower in the culinary arts classroom to grow hydroponic herbs and vegetables in 2022, and replacing 23 deteriorated wooden garden beds in the community garden with stronger concrete blocks.
Fort Myers Metro-McGregor Kiwanis Club President Kelly Welborn says that the club is happy to help.
“We are happy to support the Pine Manor Improvement Association and the programs they provide that are an avenue for Pine Manor residents to improve their lives and those of their children with healthy food inside their homes as well as training for jobs outside of the home.”
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