A TON of Thanks for a Boatful of Donations

Members of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 95 “Filled the Boat” with food donations on Friday, March 25th.  

With their motto of Semper Paratus (Always Ready), they partnered with the Winn Dixie Supermarket on Marco Island and Our Daily Bread Food Pantry and collected 1,800 pounds of food donations that filled a 21-foot boat. They also received generous cash donations from the community.

It is the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s mission to assist in non-military search and rescue missions, patrols, boating, education, marine safety, and marine environmental protection – all water related – and when needed, they’ve also added “fighting hunger in the community,” as a community initiative.

The shoppers at Winn Dixie were very generous in joining the “Let’s Fill the Boat” food drive.  Marco’s Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 95 parked their 21-foot boat conveniently at the alcove entrance to Winn-Dixie. You couldn’t miss it and shoppers responded!

The Winn-Dixie’s Buy One Get One weekly specials made it easy for shoppers to keep one food item and donate the other - and in some cases, they donated both. Items needed included peanut butter, squeeze jelly, macaroni and cheese packages, spaghetti sauces, cooking oil, mayonnaise and mustard in small jars, canned protein meals such as beef stew, hamburger helpers, canned vegetables and fruits.

The Winn-Dixie team of Stephen, Joe and Kevin were out front thanking the shoppers personally for their generosity. Over the years, the Winn-Dixie team has done “whatever it takes to help out with the drive to wipe out hunger in the community.” They maintain a collection box at the store for donated food items for ODBFP.

Feeling the Pinch - According to the Consumer Food Index for March, grocery foods just got more expensive. Everyone is feeling the pinch of rising food prices including snacks, frozen foods, milk and more.

For our residents getting ready to head out to their northern homes, please consider donating your non-perishable foods and canned goods to your local food bank. Every little bit helps.

 If you missed the “Let’s Fill the Boat'' Food Drive, you can drop off your donation to ODBFP at 1450 Winterberry Drive (back building on Auburndale Avenue). Other food drop locations are Bargain Basket, Chamber of Commerce, Keep in Touch, YMCA and Winn Dixie. 

Check them out: If you are new to Marco or new to boating, you might want to check out the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s schedule of courses being offered. They offer a Free Vessel Safety Check (VSC) and in return, you will be given a U.S. Coast Guard/Auxiliary Decal for your boat.

According to FWC this week, Florida has surpassed one million registered recreational vessels (aka boats), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced this week.

Why it matters: Florida leads the nation in most registered boats and it also has the highest number of reported boating accidents. The Flotilla’s free vessel safety check is for your safety and the safety of your passengers.

Area of Operation: The Flotilla's Area of Operations covers the area from Rookery Bay to Chokoloskee Pass, which includes Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands.

Meetings: The Flotilla meets at 7:00 PM on the third Wednesday of every month at the Flotilla station located in Caxambas Park at 905 Collier Court – in case you would like to join.

For more information: Visit Flotilla 95’s website http://uscgauxmarco.org/ or through the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary VSC website - http://cgaux.org/vsc/.

It took a village to Fill the Boat with 1,800 pounds of food! Thanks to the generosity of a giving community and to organizations partnering with each other to wipe out hunger in the community – such as Marco’s U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 95, Winn-Dixie and Our Daily Bread Food Pantry.