PALMETTO, Fla. (WWSB) – Across Manatee County, one in every six children faces food insecurity — a hidden crisis that often peaks when the Friday afternoon school bell rings, and students head into weekends with empty kitchen pantries.
Now, a volunteer network is making sure those children don’t go to bed hungry.
The program started in 2012 with Gina Wilkins, and what started as a food donation program run out of her home “quickly revealed the pervasive issue of childhood hunger in Pinellas County.”
After feeding more than 150,000 children across Tampa Bay last year alone, the nonprofit The Kind Mouse has officially expanded across the Sunshine Skyway into Manatee County, where they feed more than 650 children weekly.
An unlikely frontline crew powers the effort: retirees living in Palmetto’s Imperial Lakes community.
Every Monday morning, folding tables at the Imperial Lakes clubhouse transform into a high-speed assembly line. Volunteers sort and pack crackers, peanut butter, and protein bars into individual weekend snack bags.
“We got two bars now. When we run out of an item, we usually double up,” volunteer Diane Cressy said as she packed bags alongside her neighbors.
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Each week, the neighborhood crew packs more than 600 snack bags destined for Suncoast children. While the packing party serves as a social gathering for the retirees, the mission behind it is never lost on them.
“It makes me sad that we have to do this, is what it really does,” Cressy said. “There’s such an abundance in the world. To think that there are children going hungry hurts my heart.”
Non-perishable snack bags are only half the operation.
Every week, volunteers take their van to the Azinger Family Compassion Center in East Bradenton. The warehouse, operated by One More Child, serves as a distribution hub for nearly 200 local charities, providing fresh meats, vegetables, dairy, and breads that grassroots nonprofits can distribute free of charge.
“It just blesses my heart that I know that we can be a light into this community,” said Moses VanNort, Senior National Procurement Director for One More Child. “Organizations can come in, get this food, and give it back into the community without any charge, without any strings attached.”
From the distribution center, volunteers load hundreds of pounds of fresh produce alongside the Imperial Lakes snack bags and drive directly to on-campus food pantries at Manatee Elementary School and Blanche Daughtry Elementary School, both coordinated by the Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS).
For Dr. Beth Barnett, Director for The Kind Mouse Manatee, witnessing the severity of childhood hunger firsthand was an eye-opening reality check.
“I was in some sort of bubble. I guess I was busy with my work and in my profession, and I didn’t know,” Barnett said. “I didn’t know they were my neighbors in my zip code. And I think a lot of people don’t know.”
By delivering directly to school campuses, organizers eliminate transportation barriers and red tape for working families who may be hesitant or unable to visit traditional food banks.
“When we’re able to take care of the immediate needs of the children and the families in this neighborhood, it really helps to bridge the gap,” said Rebecca Knowles, Managing Director of Area Development for Children’s Home Society. “It allows the children to have full tummies so they’re able to focus in school and do better academically.”
Between the weekend snack bags and fresh food distribution, The Kind Mouse is delivering more than 1,000 pounds of food every week across Manatee County.
Founded in 2012, The Kind Mouse assists families in transition and their chronically hungry children while working to develop the next generation of youth volunteers and community leaders.
Impact by the Numbers: Since its inception, the organization has fed more than 1.3 million children and regularly partners with more than 30 local schools and after-school programs.Manatee County Expansion: All donations raised for Manatee County remain dedicated to local programs, ensuring existing operations in Pinellas County remain fully funded.Cost: Organizers note it costs approximately $1,000 each week to purchase food items and assemble the student snack packs.
To make a donation, drop off non-perishable goods, or learn about volunteer opportunities, visit thekindmouse.org.
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