Harvest Food & Outreach Center is looking for local businesses, organizations and churches to serve as collection sites for its Hunger-Free Holidays Food Drive from October 1-December 21. All donations will be used to stock the shelves of Harvest’s Emergency Food Pantry to help those that are hungry and hurting to provide them with food and hope during this holiday season.

Harvest experiences the greatest need during the summer months and holiday season when children are on school break. The holiday season is a particularly tough time for families in need and Harvest is reaching out to the community to assist us in making sure that families have enough food on their tables during their holiday celebration.

To learn how you can help make this holiday season hunger-free and to get your Harvest Food Drive Kit, contact Willie Finklin, Programs Director, at 772-564-9365 or programsvb@harvestfoodoutreach.org.

Harvest Food & Outreach Center is also offering regularly scheduled tours of its central Indian River County campus, located at 2746 U.S. 1 in Vero Beach, beginning October 17 and every Thursday following through May 29, from 11:30-12:30. Reservations are required and can be made by calling Donna at 772-563-8385 or email donna@harvestfoodoutreach.org.  Lunch will be provided.

Harvest Food & Outreach Center, founded in 2003 by Austin and Ginny Hunt in Indian River County, provides a holistic, multi-component approach that provides a hand up to those living at or under the 200% federal poverty level. Harvest’s unique model offers a comprehensive three-tiered approach to lifting people out of poverty through: 1) a Hunger Relief Program that includes an Emergency Food Box and Cost Share Grocery Program, 2) a Crisis Center that stabilizes people in crisis through counseling and active referrals to services, and 3) Education and Employment Opportunity Programs that address the source of the problem and provides long term solutions for those in need toward self sufficiency.