After retiring and moving to Daytona Beach, James wanted to continue supporting holiday food drives like he had at work. When he learned his new neighborhood did not have one, he decided to start it himself.
“I knew about Second Harvest, so I called and asked what I needed to do,” James recalls. “They told me to just collect food, so that’s what I did.”
What began as a small holiday food drive collecting a few hundred items has grown into a year-round community of kindness. Every neighborhood gathering now includes giving back: the cookie exchange collects baking ingredients, the chili cook-off gathers canned beans, and even movie nights and birthday parties collect donations.
“The community has never stopped giving,” says James, affectionately known as the “Food Bank Guy.” “For us, it’s as simple as adding one or two extra items to our shopping carts, but it makes a world of difference.”
In just two years, James and his neighbors have donated enough food to provide 20,000 meals—and they are not finished yet! Watch this interview from Spectrum News 13 to learn more about James and his ongoing food drive.
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