Bringing family and friends together to share a feast at the holidays can be exciting. But there are children in our community who don’t know where their next meal will come from. The team at Love Generously is working to spread hope and love to those struggling with food insecurity, one meal at a time.
For Anthony and Lindsay Williams, owners of SWAG Party Rentals, SWAG Marketing and creators of the non-profit Love Generously, the need to combat hunger has driven them for years, seeking opportunities to help feed hungry children in their community. “It just opened my eyes. You think about there being hungry children far away, not so close to where I live. These kids literally don’t know, from lunch at school on Friday to breakfast at school on Monday, what they’re going to eat,” shared Lindsay.
“It’s a hard thing for people to understand. These are kids. They don’t have control of the situation. We ask them to learn, but you can’t learn if you’re hungry,” shared Anthony. “We started realizing, what about those longer times they’re out, and holidays? So, we started collecting extra and asking people we knew to do bigger bags. Because for me, food insecurity for kids is a major thing. It touches close to home. I always wanted to lean into it and do as much as we can for it.”
As their desire to serve the community in this way was growing, they started their own non-profit to expand their reach and help more families. In spring of 2022, Love Generously was created, and they partnered with One Community Now and their Pack-A-Sack program to help hungry children in Pasco County. According to One Community Now, over 7,000 children in Pasco County go to bed hungry every night. One Community Now pairs non-profits like Love Generously with a school with kids in need and supports them in the process. “They fund half the cost of the bags. And the other organizations fund the other half, pack them and deliver them,” explained Lindsay.
Love Generously started serving 30 kids at a school that closed earlier this year. Thanks to their recent fundraising efforts, they’ve expanded to serve 50 kids at their new partner school. Their goal is to continue to grow and serve their partner school in more ways. That starts with offering expanded bags for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Their fundraising efforts also mean they can serve these kids during the summer too. Still, they strive to do more. “Opportunity is not equally distributed. Just trying to help level the playing field, because you never know where the next genius is going to come from. All they need is a leg up,” shared Anthony.
Love Generously needs support to expand the fight against hunger. Doners can sponsor an individual child for just $13 a month. Supporters can also select items from their registries to fill their bags. They also need sponsors and attendees for their annual Night of Love gala. Those looking to be more involved can help with the annual gala, offer logistical support throughout the year, share their mission through social media or join the monthly packing events. They encourage volunteers to bring their kids to help pack the bags and offer volunteer hours for teenagers looking for service hours.
For the Williams family and the Love Generously team, supporting their community isn’t just an occasional effort, it’s a daily commitment. Through Love Generously, they’re winning the battle against food insecurity and bringing their community along for the fight. “Think globally, act locally,” shared Anthony. “That’s the first step. Just love generously.”