May 14th: Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive - 300 Volunteers Needed in Broward County!

On Saturday, May 14th, 2005, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will hold its 13th Annual NALC National Food Drive in over 10,000 cities and towns throughout the U.S. This is also the largest one-day volunteer event in the nation! Millions of pounds of food will be collected on this one day.

WE NEED HELP!! To volunteer to help sort the collected food on May 14th from 2:30pm - 6:30pm in the Tamarac and Sunrise post offices, please contact Marlene at The Cooperative Feeding Program at (954) 792-2328 or marlene@FeedingBroward.org.

To participate in the food drive, residents are asked to place a bag containing nonperishable food next to their mailbox before their letter carriers deliver mail. The letter carrier will then pick up the food when mail is delivered.

The Cooperative Feeding Program's participation in this event is generously underwritten by "Interiors by Steven G's" www.InteriorsByStevenG.com.

(L to R): Randy Dixon, Postmaster, Ft Lauderdale;
Letter Carriers Eddie Weaver, Donald Rizzo

LEARNING BY GIVING

The following quote is from Licet Martell, an eloquent student volunteer from Nova Southeastern University who just completed a semester assignment at The Cooperative Feeding Program:

"I must say that I really felt needed this week, as well as all the other times I have come to the program. If it is true that I have given something to CFP, it is also true that CFP has given back to me. It has opened my eyes to the need of a population that I didn't even think about before coming here. CFP has given me the opportunity to show compassion and love, and has helped me break my fears of the unknown. Through the development of my communication skills I have to say that I feel much more confident about myself, and about the ways I can help others. CFP has not only taught me how to be a better person but also how to become a great professional by showing compassion and serving fellow human beings".

Licet Martell and her husband Lester Diaz, display the training
materials they developed about breast cancer and bipolar disorder
for use with The Cooperative Feeding Program clients.

A MODERN DAY HEROINE…

Perhaps it's her 17 years of unselfish service to the hungry that maintains her youth. Or perhaps it was the open heart surgery 10 years ago that gave her a new lease on life. But whatever it is, 88 year-old Betty Villaume is a heroine in anyone's book.

On April 26th, Betty put in her last day of volunteer work at The Cooperative Feeding Program's Community Kitchen in Fort Lauderdale. She has served literally hundreds of thousands of meals to homeless people from 8am to 11am every Tuesday morning, for almost two decades.

"God has been good to me and I wanted to give something back", the sprightly senior responds as she balances a slice of chocolate cake on a spatula, deftly laying it in the top right corner of the serving tray. "I try to always see the best side of life. We all have to get active and alleviate the problems in our communities". More than a few tears were shed as Betty departs her Wilton Manors home and leaves this week for the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park where she moves into a retirement community close to her family.

"Now I have to find some volunteer work there", she chuckles. "I enjoy life and take it as it comes". South Florida's loss is Kansas City's gain.

Betty Villaume serves.