Karsceal Turner – I Got Next!
State Representative Dwayne Taylor spearheaded an effort to help families and children in Daytona Beach have a healthy beginning to the new school year at a food giveaway held at the UCF- Daytona building at Daytona State College Saturday.
Taylor teamed up with Farmshare, a 501(c) non-profit organization dedicated to recovering, sorting, packing and distributing nutritious food for people in need, It is the largest fresh produce program in Florida and the only statewide food bank that does not charge a fee for any of the food it provides to community organizations.
Farmshare provides food to hundreds of non-profit organizations that serve over 1 million families each year with 23/4 million pounds of food. Over 15 million pounds of fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables are trucked each year to participating community groups throughout Florida.
Taylor, who serves Florida’s 27th District, which encompasses Volusia county said he simply wanted to get out there in the mix and feed the people. He did so with his presence, sweat, and some help from organizations such as, the Gamma Tau Chapter and the Gamma Mu alumnae chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, Beta Sigma Phi women’s Friendship Sorority, the brothers of Boaz Lodge #212 Masonic lodge, Prince Hall affiliated, UCF Daytona, and of course yours truly representing the Daytona Beach Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc, and a member of Boaz Lodge #212. You had to know that was going into the piece somewhere.
Taylor, ever the modest politician kept it humble. “Its not complicated, I simply jumped at the opportunity to be among the people in my district in a way which really hits home. It was fortunate that we were able to schedule this to coincide with the beginning of the Fall school year,” he said. “I want to do this as many time as is possible.” he added.
Taylor said over 1000 citizens pulled up to have their cars and trucks filled with grocery items which included bread, juice, fresh fruit and vegetables, and healthy snack options. The stocky brothers of Boaz were on hand to load up the cars and trucks which snaked through the Daytona State parking lot Saturday morning. The giveaway began at 10am and ended at 1:00 pm.
About three blocks east, just off Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard at Daisy Stocking park, Daytona Beach Commissioner Paula Reed was a notable figure inside the confines of the Community Unity Festival which was held from 9am to 10p.m. and was aimed at providing a family-friendly venue and age-appropriate activities to celebrate summer’s end in the heart of Daytona Beach.
The Unity Festival kicked off with the Mayor’s book bag giveaway, which provided book bags and school supplies to area pupils followed by exercise programs sponsored by “Youth On the Move”. The festival also featured live music, food vendors, spoken word poetry, Fraternity and Sorority Stepping, bounce houses and horse rides for the kids, and a “grown folks” entertainment was provided courtesy of LA Robinson and Streetlife. In addition, members of Bethune-Cookman’s Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, (of which Reed is a member) and the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternities were on hand to give the patrons a taste of collegiate stepping prowess. The members also served as volunteers for the event. Yes, a Kappa was in the house. Anywhere I may be, there my fraternity is also.
The Community Unity Festival was sponsored by Pepsi, AFSCME, Islamic Center of Daytona Beach, Vitas, Bethune-Cookman University, Brown & Brown Insurance, and the City of Daytona Beach.
