Reserve wing fights hunger at home with food drive

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Paul Flipse
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  For the second year in a row, reservists from the 920th Rescue Wing came together in an effort to help end hunger in Brevard County as part of a food drive held in conjunction with the South Brevard Sharing Center (SBSC).

And so, after a month-long campaign, wing Airmen loaded nearly 1,200 pounds of canned and other non-perishable food items onto a SBSC panel truck here today.

For Master Sgt. Charity Dunham, the combat arms NCOIC at the wing's pararescue squadron who helped coordinate the drive, the act of giving has to begin at home.

"As reservists, we live here. So it's important to take care of our community," she said.

Sergeant Dunham's sentiment is particularly relevant in Brevard County. In spite of its reputation as a tropical tourist site and the revenues that come as a result, the Space Coast isn't immune to the scourge of poverty and its tragic consequences. Far from it.

According to Florida's Office of Economic and Demographic Research, a full 25 percent of the county's children live below the poverty line, and a 2013 study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found Brevard has the tenth-highest child-homelessness rate in the nation among counties of similar size.

According to Yolanda Diaz, a food pantry manager for the SBSC who spends her days on the front lines in the battle against hunger, the wing's donation will make a significant impact.

"It's a week to two weeks of feeding a family," she said. "It's a tremendous help."