Stefanie Ink Edwards

Did you know that in the United States, one in eight households–and one in six households with children–are struggling with food insecurity? That’s a staggering 40% increase since 2021, as reported by the Food Research & Action Center.

For 40 years, Community Cooperative has been at the forefront of the fight against hunger and homelessness in Southwest Florida. Our commitment and hard work have made a profound difference in the lives of countless individuals and families. But we need the community’s help to continue this crucial mission!

At Community Cooperative, our impact to Southwest Florida in 2023 included:

• 113,000 Meals on Wheels delivered to elderly, disabled, and ill clients who are homebound.

• 54,000 individual people provided with essential assistance.

• 265,000 meals cooked and served at Sam’s Community Cafe and Kitchen.

• 2 million pounds of emergency food distributed to those in need.

• 41,000 hours generously donated by over 2,000 active volunteers.

Despite significant effort, the challenges have been mounting. The pandemic and Hurricane Ian intensified the demand for our services, and while emergency donations throughout those events have dwindled, the need in 2024 is greater than ever. Food costs have surged nearly 16% since 2022, and with the rising cost of living and lack of affordable housing, our community’s need for support is skyrocketing. Feeding America reports that two-thirds of food banks are struggling to keep up with the increased demand.

Many people are aware of Community Cooperative as the Soup Kitchen, but we do so much more.

Every day, our dedicated team begins their work at 4:45 a.m., preparing over 1,000 meals. This includes delivering Meals on Wheels to 32 routes across Southwest Florida, serving breakfast, lunch, and snacks to six partner schools, and preparing a hot midday meal for anyone in need. Our volunteers and staff also run mobile food pantries to reach the farthest corners of our region and manage the Community Market at the Community Cooperative where clients can pick up food for their families.

Our Social & Education Resources Center helps people with a safety net by providing life-saving services to meet the most basic needs for our neighbors going through crises.

We could not help our community without the important components outlined in our name: Community and Cooperative, which means mutual assistance in working toward a common goal. Cooperative fundraising, food donations and volunteering is what supports our neighbors. To keep providing these vital services, we need to grow our support network.

You can make a tangible impact by attending or sponsoring our upcoming fundraisers including our Becoming Cosmopolitan: Mad About Hunger event on Oct. 15, and our annual Soup Kitchen Benefit each spring. Your participation and support will directly provide the resources we need to continue our work.

As one of our founders, the late Sam Galloway, passionately stated, “We need to serve food, and that’s what our charge is. Serve food to hungry people. That’s something I want to see go on and never stop, because hunger is never going to stop.”3

Please join us in this urgent mission. Your support is critical to ensuring that we can continue to serve those who need us most. Together, we can make a difference and keep Sam’s fight against hunger and homelessness going.

Stefanie Ink Edwards leads Community Cooperative as its CEO. For information on upcoming events, volunteering opportunities, donations, and other ways you can get involved, please visit CommunityCooperative.com.