Emergency food drive on Longboat Key benefits local families in need

With communities left scrambling after Hurricane Ian, members of Christ Church leapt into action on Oct. 5 by holding an emergency food drive. Volunteers collected more than $2,000 in checks, plus four truckloads of supplies for Our Daily Bread in Bradenton.  

“They made our shelves whole again,” Britney Vela said. “Usually, we try to space the shelves out. But in a time like this, you can’t give a family three cans of tuna when they have four kids.”

Vela manages ODB’s Loaves & Fishes Pantry. The food pantry only closed for one day through Ian because of power failures and debris clearing. Normal pantry hours are from 8-11 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays. But with so many calls coming in, ODB is letting people stop by on off-hours for emergency boxes of food. 

“We have never seen their shelves so empty,” Ann Quackenbush of Christ Church said. “We will continue to collect in the coming weeks because the need is so great.” 

ODB is also accepting donations daily. The best time to drop off is between 7:30-11 a.m. Vela said a lot of people are asking for baby items and that the pantry is stocked with peanut butter but has no jelly. 

Vela, who was back to work Monday morning serving others, is homeless herself because of Ian. An oak tree fell through her roof at the start of the storm. Rain water destroyed the rest of the home. 

Vela and her children left before the hurricane hit. She’s grateful to be safe and staying with family while waiting on FEMA, also that she had a job to return to.  

“This is my break away from everything else,” Vela said. “We’re lucky. I just tell my kids and everybody who comes in here that God has a plan.” 

To make a donation through Christ Church, call the office at 383-8833 or Sue Wertman at 383-1731. To make a donation to ODB directly, call 745-2992.