Breakers leaders join volunteers to pack thousands of meals for county food bank

The driving rhythm of dance music set the pace inside The Breakers' Ponce De Leon Ballroom on Thursday as multiple hands scooped, sealed and packaged thousands of hearty portions of dried pasta.

Those hands belonged to volunteers from the Breakers and Palm Beach County Food Bank, who worked quickly while laughing and chatting as part of the Day of 100,000 Meals. The meals packaged during the afternoon event will help feed thousands of Palm Beach County families suffering from food insecurity, said Liz Cabral, the food bank's program director.

“A lot of people think, ‘Hey, its Palm Beach County, the playground of the rich, there is no need for a program like this,’ when in reality there is a need,” she said. “There’s roughly 173,000 food-insecure individuals here in Palm Beach County, and 50,000 of those are children.”

After a similar event last September, The Breakers had been in regular communication asking how it could continue to support the food bank , Cabral said. Those queries had come from from The Breakers board of directors, specifically, member Barbara Harty.

Harty asked about organizing a charity event at the Breakers following a report detailing the 32,782 volunteer hours accrued by 2,300 employees during the hotel’s last fiscal year, she said. When The Breakers reached out to the food bank, the organizations decided on another Day of 100,000 Meals, because of the previous event's success, Cabral said.

Harty showed up Thursday to join the other volunteers. “So many employees give so many hours, I asked if the board could join in and contribute,” she said.

“This is the best use of the ballroom, in my opinion, packaging food for people who need it,” Harty told the Daily News while taking a quick break from scooping pasta.

Harty was not the only director helping to package meals, as the event was scheduled immediately after the board's meeting. “Everyone on the board was so excited, and we all volunteered to join in,” she said.

That included members of the Kenan family, owners of The Breakers and descendants of Henry Flagler, Breakers CEO Paul Leone said.

Leone smiled as he discussed the passion shown by employees.

“To see my team joyfully bringing The Breakers energy not just to their work, but to our community, is something I’m really proud of,” he said.

Breakers President Tricia Taylor said the event was an amazing opportunity to aid the community while being able to work alongside other members of the resort's team.

"We really care about making a difference in the lives of our team members and in the lives of our neighborhood and community," Taylor said. "So I consider this an honor and privilege to give back, however we might be able to, big or small."

Julia McMahon, the resort's social impact manager, noted that while The Breakers champions community outreach and encourages employees to volunteer, it's up to the employee to choose how.

"What's beautiful about this program is that's it's driven by the team ... they're encouraged to explore their passion and give back in a way that is actually meaningful to them," McMahon said.

Joining The Breakers' 250 volunteers were a handful of volunteers from the food bank, including retiree Charles Greene. "A lot of us (volunteers) are senior, and we love doing all that we can for the community," Greene said. "They're so many people that can't afford food now, that it's a very vital service."

Cabral concurred, noting that the packages will be delivered to over 200 organizations around the county including, churches, health care centers, schools, libraries and shelters on the cusp of World Hunger Day, May 28.

She said the distribution will serve as a vital source of nutrition for the thousands of food-insecure schoolchildren who will be heading into the summer break at the end of May.

"So, kids are going to be missing a lot of meals they would have received from their schools," she said. "Parents may have just enough money for rent and other monthly expenses, but not enough for food, so we want to be there as a safety net that families can turn to."

Thursday's drive ended with 72,000 bags of pasta packed. But starting Memorial Day, a group of volunteers from The Breakers will be stopping by the food bank on Mondays throughout the summer months to help pack food, said Andrea Rendon, the charity's marketing and communication specialist.

For more information about Palm Beach County Food Bank services and volunteering opportunities, visit pbcfoodbank.org.

Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Volunteers at Breakers event pack thousands of meals for food bank