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FIU

Feed the Funnel

Party

Saturday, November 16, 2024

To raise $23,500, gather 150 volunteers, and pack 50,000 shelf stable meals this Thanksgiving!

All meals will be donated to nonprofit organizations in South Florida.

Donation Deadline: 11/2/24

Our Goal

Join us in the spirit of giving this Thanksgiving, as Beta Alpha Psi at Florida International University helps combat a pressing issue in South Florida, hunger. Across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties, 11% of individuals are unsure of where their next meal will come from, with approximately 1.2 million experiencing food insecurity last Thanksgiving! 

The goal of this project is to bring students, educators, professionals, and community leaders together to pack at least 50,000 healthy, shelf-stable meals. With the help of local food pantries and other non-profit partners, all meals packed at this event will feed fellow South Floridians who are at risk of hunger this Thanksgiving. 

This initiative is being organized by Beta Alpha Psi at Florida International University, in partnership with The Pack Shack’s Feed the Funnel program, and our local community partners. Please join our efforts in the spirits of unity, service, and humanity this Thanksgiving. Thank you in advance for your support! Let's share the Thanksgiving spirit!

Why bring the Funnel to Miami?

In response to the pressing issue of food insecurity gripping our surrounding communities, Florida International University’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter has made it our mission to take action. According to data from Feeding America as of 2022, across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties, over 772,590 individuals are food insecure; with 229,990, or 30%, being children. Year over year these numbers have risen, with a 14% increase occurring from 2020 to 2022. However now in 2024, the population of those suffering from food insecurity is estimated to be much higher, with Feeding South Florida feeding 1.2 million people last Thanksgiving in 2023. 

Last summer, our Executive Board members participated in a Feed the Funnel party for the first time at the Beta Alpha Psi International 2023 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, NV. After helping pack over 125,000 meals, we left inspired, and committed to bringing the party back home to Miami, FL. 

Our Feed the Funnel party is not just about providing meals; it's about unifying our community for a shared purpose this Thanksgiving. We aspire to leverage our network, bringing together students, educators, professionals, and community leaders, to fight hunger and make a difference in the lives of others. We invite you to join in this heartfilled effort this Thanksgiving!

Mark your calendars for November 16, 2024, as we embark on our Thanksgiving Feed the Funnel party! Last year we hosted a much smaller food packing event, where we packed 1,271 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and donated them to Miami Rescue Mission and Broward Outreach Centers, Camillus House, the Miami Veterans Association, and Buddy System Miami’s community fridges in Little Haiti, Overtown, Coconut Grove, Richmond Heights, and Florida City. This year we have ambitions to expand our reach, and help feed even more people! 

Every dollar contributed goes a long way in stocking food pantries and ensuring that families in need have access to nutritious meals this Thanksgiving. Your donation, no matter the size, makes a tangible difference in putting food on the table for those who need it most.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your much anticipated support. Together, let's make a meaningful impact in the fight against food insecurity and build a stronger, more resilient community for all!

Data: SFBW, Feeding America

What is Feed the Funnel and The Pack Shack?

The Pack Shack is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a global reach. Their mission is to increase awareness about food security issues affecting communities, provide food and other items to local nonprofits, and encourage people to get involved with the local nonprofits serving their neighbors. The Pack Shack works towards this mission by hosting Feed the Funnel parties across the country.

A Feed the Funnel party is essentially a massive food packing event, made fun! Volunteers are organized in a high energy assembly line process, creating thousands of delicious, healthy, and shelf stable meals. This is all done while we wear fashionable hairnets, crank up some awesome music, and turn the disco ball on; hence the "party"!

Visit The Pack Shack's official website here to read more!

What does a Feed the Funnel party look like?

Want a better idea of what our Funnel party will look like? Take a look at some awesome Funnel parties below from the past. Also, check out this beautiful video here from Wynn Las Vegas to see how their Funnel party positively impacted their community!

Who will be benefiting from this?

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On November 16, 2024, we will pack at least 50,000 shelf stable meals that will benefit our campus food pantry and other local organizations in our community. These organizations specialize in getting food into the hands of individuals who are struggling. Prospective recipient organizations include, but are not limited to:

 

FIU Food Pantry

Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida 

Miami Rescue Mission and Broward Outreach Centers 

Camilus House

United Way - Miami

United Way - Broward

Lotus House Women’s Shelter - Miami

Feeding South Florida 

Buddy System Miami

Interested in Helping?

 

The total budget for our FIU Meal Pack for Thanksgiving is $23,500 for 50,000 meals. We would deeply appreciate your contribution to help provide meals for those in need this Thanksgiving. You can donate on our GoFundMe donation page with a credit card, debit card, or with PayPal. The donation page can be reached by clicking on any of the "Donate Now!" buttons on this webpage. All contributions are tax-deductible. Consult your tax professional.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding donating, sponsoring, volunteering, and/or the nonprofit organizations receiving a percentage of the meals packed, please reach out to us!

Maria M. Odio

Cell: (786) 468-0713

Email: vpserviceandreportingbap.fiu@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-odio/

Philip M. Iacovelli

Cell: (201) 554-6866

Email: philipmiacovelli@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philmi/

Mark Coiras

Cell: (305) 989-2601

Email: markcoiras@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-coiras/

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