SANIBEL, Fla — Its neighbors helping neighbors as shelves of food and piles of toys turned a food pantry into Sanibel’s own North Pole.
Fox 4’s Sanibel Community Correspondent, Austin Schargorodski works on the island every day and nows people at F.I.S.H of Sancap, and they wanted to show you how they’re helping families this holiday season.
Watch to hear how the non-profit helped families this holiday:
The holidays are about giving, and that’s exactly what the Sanibel nonprofit spent Tuesday doing. From food to toys, everything found a home with families who need a little extra support during the holiday season.
“Right now especially is a time when most families need our help. It’s a difficult time and we’re just trying to spread the cheer,” said Executive Director Maria Espinoza.
Espinoza said the goal is for no one to leave with an empty pantry or have an empty tree.
“This is all thanks to the generosity of people all around Lee County saying they want to spread some holiday cheer,” Espinoza said. “They donated all through December. People had collections privately. People had Christmas parties and instead of doing exchanges they said, ‘Hey, let’s help a family out.’”
For the families who came in, they say that generosity means the world.
“They’ve been wonderful. Not just support for food but they’ve supported me physically and mentally,” one woman said. Another mother added, “I’m a single mom, so coming for food and toys this holiday, we are very, very thankful.”
The giving went beyond food and toys. Students from Cypress Lake High School’s Interact Program also stepped in, volunteering their time to help get everything into the right hands.
“When we get these opportunities to help families, we take them immediately. We volunteer, and we make people’s days,” said Kaelin Jackson.
Espinoza said the real gift is reminding neighbors that no one has to go through the season alone.
“We want every neighbor in the community to feel like someone’s there for them, and that’s what we’re doing today,” she said.
