Home Depot donates to Awaken Outreach food pantry

NORTH PORT — After Home Depot employees volunteered at Awaken Outreach food pantry, they knew something needed to change.

Lines of more than 750 vehicles came for food Friday morning and it didn't end for hours.

Meanwhile, Awaken volunteers were working in heat, pulling hand carts, loading and unloading food.

Home Depot volunteers, who learned from the North Port Area Chamber of Commerce about Awaken's food ministry, realized there was more to be done to help.

They returned again with their boss, Tom Manning, manager of the North Port Home Depot. This time, they brought $5,000 in donations to the pantry at 4940 Pan American Blvd. in North Port.

They gave tents, blankets to cover the food, flashlights, coolers, fans, road cones and bungee cords and other equipment.

Team Depot Community Captain Cherylann Tacy and fellow employee EJ Dudeck also recently stayed after giving the donation to help distribute food.

"It's important to help the volunteers at Awaken, who every week are serving hundreds of people in need." Manning said. "They are out here each week and it's hot out here."

Manning said they need tents, supplies and support.

"We enjoy working alongside of the Awaken volunteers," Manning said. "We are here for the community."

In the past, Team Depot brought store employees to the AMVETS Post 2000 in Warm Mineral Springs to beautify the outside of the post. They planted flowers, painted and donated hundreds for a facelift of the property.

They also donated 100 buckets of cleaning supplies, sponges, paper towels and antibacterial wipes.

They supported the Gene Matthews North Port Boys & Girls Club with a financial donation in the past.

While at the recent Awaken food giveaway, Manning met Pat Hurley, Donna Castellano and Joe Castellano of the Plantation Community Foundation in Venice.

The foundation recently awarded Awaken Outreach Food Pantry a grant to help purchase an electric pallet jack. Now volunteers use it to unload food from All Faiths Food Bank and other large donations and orders.

"This was such a blessing for us," longtime Awaken volunteer Bill Taaffe said. "The jacks will help us so much, especially the wear and tear of our backs."

Larry Grant, Awaken Pantry manager, said the food mission struggles, especially in the summer time.

"We can't thank Home Depot and the Plantation Community Foundation enough," he said. "Our expenses don't change much from the season to the summer as far as the number of police we have to pay for to manage the traffic flow into the drive through pantry food distribution.

"We struggle to pay for it as our numbers go up in the summer when children are at home so they need the extra two meals they would get in school," he said. "The donated tents and other supplies from Home Depot are a true blessing. And our volunteers love the electric jacks for sure."

For more information on Team Depot, visit:

corporate.homedepot.com/page/team-depot

For more information on Awaken Outreach Pantry, visit:

myawaken.church/outreach/