Beachplace games benefit All Faiths Food Bank

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Beachplace residents pulled out their golf clubs and playing cards on March 6 to collect food and raise donations for All Faiths Food Bank.

About 70 players and guests gathered for a kickoff dinner on Sunday evening before the games began first-thing Monday. Forty players hit the links, while a dozen more stayed behind in the clubhouse to play canasta, bridge and mahjong for $100 a table.

"The two events raised more than $3,000," Chair Nancy Bronska said. "For the last four years, we've made it a charity event instead of just a social event."

The golf tournament is in its 18th year and is played at Longboat Key Club. This is the first year cards were added.

“Our husbands or partners are out playing golf, so they decided to add something for the women,” Carolyn Greenberg said.

While both men and women play in the tournament, not everyone plays golf. Greenberg is a regular card player, so she was happy to chip in for a good cause.

Once the games concluded, both sets of players met in the clubhouse over box lunches from Publix and enjoyed an awards ceremony. Awards go to the top three golf teams and the men and women who get closest to the pin and have the straightest drives.

The next tournament is already scheduled for March 4, 2024.

Why donate to All Faiths Food Bank?

According to the food bank's latest annual report, “As many as 40,000 children could be at risk of hunger during the summer in Sarasota and DeSoto counties.” Specifically in Sarasota, one in four children is “food insecure,” which doesn’t necessarily mean hungry. The food source could be inconsistent or not meeting nutritional standards.

Here’s a look at the operation and how All Faiths benefits local children, seniors, veterans and families. These numbers were compiled from the nonprofit’s 2021 annual report.

Operation:

Volunteers worked 39,221 hours.
At least 92 cents of every $1 raised goes to feeding or educating the community.
60% of funds come from individuals, only 6% from grants.
The food bank held 734 food distributions per month.
They partnered with 477 local agencies and programs to distribute food.

Impact:

19 million pounds of food was distributed.
5.9 million pounds out of the 19 million was fresh produce.
17 million meals were distributed.

author

Lesley Dwyer

Lesley Dwyer is the community reporter for Longboat Key and a graduate of the University of South Florida. After earning a bachelor’s degree in professional and technical writing, she freelanced for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Lesley has lived in the Sarasota area for over 25 years.