‘Help feed the Cape’ collects food, raises money

By CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 6/22/09

Cape Coral showed its giving side this Father's Day weekend, but it wasn't just dads who saw the city's compassion.

Residents made their way down to the Shops at Surfside shopping center Saturday and gave blood, food and money to show their charity and good will during the center's "Help Feed the Cape!" event.

The event aimed at getting residents to donate canned goods for the Feed the Cape program, a summer initiative of the Cape Coral Community Foundation to help those in need.

Spearheading the collection effort was local retailer Belk, which came up with $1,000 in canned goods and $1,000 in cash donations, some donators writing checks for $100 and up.

"I don't think any of us thought in this day and age that someone would just write a check for $100," said store manager Corliss Kazemba. "$2,000 will buy a lot of food."

The donations were collected by Community Cooperative Ministries Incorporated.

Each store in the shopping center participated, and many had Father's Day giveaways, including free coffee and donuts at Starbucks, Boar's Head hotdogs from Paradise Deli & Market and free ice cream at The Ice Cream Club, and others.

Also, residents were able to donate blood to the Lee Memorial Blood Center.

"It really worked out wonderfully," Kazemba said. "The important thing is that we need to have Feed the Cape every day."

Belk will participate in the Feed the Cape program the first Tuesday of each month during seniors day at the store, Kazemba said.

"It's all about supporting Cape residents that are in need right now, which there are a lot of them," said store associate Michael Dean.

To learn more about the Feed the Cape program, visit :www.capecoralcf.org or call 542-5594. Donations can be made payable to the Cape Coral Community Foundation