Thanksgiving Food Convoy with Porsche Naples

On Saturday, November 16th, over 45 shiny Porsche sports cars came “bearing gifts” to the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry (ODBFP) on Winterberry Drive. This is the fifth anniversary of this partnership. Members of the Paradise Region Gruppe, in partnership with Porsche Naples, sent out a “call to action” to all their local Porsche Clubs and enthusiasts to load up their cars with much needed food items for the Saturday delivery. Also, at the Naples Porsche dealership, a food collection drive collected food for the Pantry. 

A big thanks to lead organizers Scott Harle and Becky Grafer-Harle for making sure this Thanksgiving delivery convoy came through. Every car loaded their front and back seats with non-perishable food items and after a quick unloading, off they went to lunch at Mango’s! There was a group of loyalists who were happy to share with the new Porsche owners that they were part of the “original” group from five years ago.

Our Daily Bread Food Pantry provides nourishing food for individuals in need and they provide a balanced cart of fresh fruits and vegetables, protein (meat, eggs, and milk), bread, and pantry staples to each household that visits them. Each cart of food feeds a family of four for three days, saving their guests over $100 to use for other necessities. 

In addition, ODBFP has a special children’s program serving Tommie Barfield Elementary School, Marco Island Charter Middle School, Marco Island Academy, and several elementary, middle, and high schools in East Naples. According to Evelyn Rossetti-Ryan, Executive Director for ODBFP, “Throughout our almost nine years, we have stayed true to ensuring that no child will come to school hungry or experience hunger over the weekend (We currently provide over 400 weekend meals weekly ).”

Thanks to their ability to secure donated food and purchase food below market prices, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry can stretch a dollar three times more than when going to the grocery store. Every dollar you donate becomes three dollars and enables the Pantry to create carts of food with fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh protein, milk, eggs, bread, and all the good nutritious food to feed families. 

On Saturday, November 16th, at the Winterberry location, over 950 households were served, and the delivery from the Porsche Naples group will add to the “joy of giving” for families in need. Yes, Thanksgiving fixings came early, delivered in shiny Porsche sports cars!