NAPLES, Fla. — A group of seniors in Collier County spent Friday packing food for people in need at the Harry Chapin Food Bank. They were joined by Tony Hall, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.
“This is a little thing, and it’s a drop in the bucket, but it’s my job,” Hall said.
Hall served as ambassador under President George W. Bush in 2002. “I was in charge of helping feed people around the world,” Hall explained. “We fed 150 million people a year,” he added.
During the volunteer event organized by Vi at Bentley Village, Hall and the seniors packed nearly 1,300 portions of produce for those in need in Southwest Florida.
The Harry Chapin Food Bank estimates these efforts help feed over 250,000 people a month facing food insecurity.
“So over 35 million pounds of food were distributed last year,” said Jennifer Denike, the major gifts officer for the Harry Chapin Food Bank. “And the majority of that comes from donations that we received from the community,” she added.
Mary and Ron Bluestein, a couple who has been together for 61 years, participated in the efforts and shared how volunteering here gives them a deeper sense of purpose.
“My parents were very hardworking, and my mother always found time. She taught in school but always found time to help other people,” Mary Bluestein said. Her husband, Ron, added, “We raised three very healthy children, and as we look around and see others who are not quite as fortunate, it gives us hope and makes us think maybe there’s more we can do.”
According to Feeding America, nearly 3 million people in Florida face food insecurity. On a global scale, the UN estimates that up to 783 million people suffer from hunger every day.
Having served on the international stage, Hall emphasized the importance of even small efforts in combating hunger, recalling an exchange Mother Teresa had when asked about its effectiveness.
“A reporter asked her, ‘Don’t you think what you’re doing is a drop in the bucket?’ She replied, ‘No, what I’m doing is a drop in the ocean, but if I didn’t do it, there would be one less drop,’” he recalled.
He added, “So I’m just doing my job. So much has been given to me. I’m just giving a little drop back.”
