United Way of Pasco Exceeds 100,000 Meal Mark and Counting

Land O’ Lakes, FL – In collaboration with the Pasco Board of County Commissioners, United Way of Pasco County (UWPC) introduced the Operation Feed Pasco (OFP) program in May, 2020, to assist local food pantries and soup kitchens supply food for their clients by utilizing local restaurants in Pasco County. Since then, Pasco’s Board of County Commissioners and UWPC have been able to procure more than 120,000 meals and disperse over $1 million to local Pasco restaurants, partnering with 16 local agencies and 11 restaurants.

“This program has been tremendously impactful to the families, agencies, restaurant owners and their employees,” said United Way of Pasco President and CEO Charles Anderson. “Operation Feed Pasco has certainly helped people in more ways than one. I would like to sincerely thank Pasco County Commissioners Mike Moore, Mike Wells, Ron Oakley, Kathryn Starkey and Jack Mariano, along with County Administrator Dan Biles, Assistant County Administrator Cathy Pearson and the United Way of Pasco County Board for making this program possible.”

The idea for this program came from the growing number of hungry people and the increased number of struggling businesses. Due to social distancing restrictions, many restaurants are suffering, employees are being laid off, and in many instances, businesses are struggling to remain open. Pasco County asked UWPC to develop and implement a program to help feed people while employing Pasco-based restaurants, event centers, and caterers.

Our partner agencies, which range from soup kitchens and shelters, to youth enrichment centers, are paired with a local restaurant in their area. The agency orders the amount of meals needed on a weekly basis from the restaurant’s existing menu or from a unique menu designed for the program. All meals must contain a meat, starch and vegetable. Some examples of meals include Baby Back Ribs from Tubby’s Q Smoke House and BBQ; Stuffed Chicken with Feta and Spinach from Spartan Manor; and Pulled Pork Sliders from Glory Days Grill. All meals are served hot and freshly-made.

The Pasco Board of County Commissioners last week awarded United Way of Pasco a third round of funding, which will allow UWPC to provide meals to its existing partners though mid-November.