May 21, 2025 • 32 mins
Talked with Michael Barnett, Director of Development, Restoration Bridge International. Their mission "has been to provide consistent and reliable access to nutritious food for individuals and families in need, while promoting community resilience and self-sufficiency. Through compassionate service, strategic partnerships, and unwavering commitment, we strive to restore dignity and bridge the gap between scarcity and sustenance for a healthier, hunger-free future." Restoration provides a much needed food distribution system in Palm Beach County. They do a food distribution event every Saturday at the Boynton Beach mall starting at 9am. For folks who want to volunteer, the arrival time is 5-6am. For more information on the services provided, to become a volunteer or sponsor, listeners can go to www.restorationbridge.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Ihearts Communities Presents Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective, which dead
and now good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome to Calm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective. I'm your host,
dev New Thanks for spending your weekend with me. All
kinds of great things going on, and don't forget there
is a Memorial Day program happening Veterans Memorial Park Monday,
May twenty six and that is sponsored by the Veterans
of Foreign Wars Post ten zero five, five to six,
And if you need more information you can call them
(00:28):
five six one nine six three six seven zero two.
And then of course there is definitely still time to
register the kiddos for summer camps happening at the Oxpo
Eco Center. Lots of fun ones happening. This one they're
going to do an art chury, so some archery and
some art so I like this combination. Everybody's all into
(00:49):
the archery now, and I got to be honest, I'm
going to try the class. I haven't made it yet.
They fill it really fast. So this one's happening June
sixteenth through the twentieth from nine am to five pm,
and it's students entering grades nine through twelve. I give
more information about that all the other programs they've got
going on for the summer at oxpoeco dot com oxbow
(01:10):
Eco dot com. Oh, and they're doing this speaking of archery, Hey,
here we go. So Saint Lucy County the Wreck 'n'
Roll program are doing a reck and Roll archery programs
this year. You can sign up for the Saint lucycclasses.
These are coming Wednesdays from eleven am till noon going
June fourth through July twenty third, and these are designed
(01:32):
for ages ten to seventeen. They're gonna be taking place
at the Lonwood Tennis Center and that's located at one
three zero two Virginia Avenue in Fort Pierce. From our details,
go to Saint lucyco dot gov and it's all listed
there for you, plus other programs and stuff they're running there.
City four per center reminder, they're launching a bunch of
free community workshop series. So the next one coming up
(01:54):
is going to be May twenty ninth, and this one
is a property appraiser workshop. June twenty fourth is going
to be pest mitigation workshop, how to get rid of
the past without damaging the environment and the water Supply.
June twenty six will be Know Your Rights Is Attendant
Part One, and then July seventeenth, Know Your Rights Is
Attendant Part two, and then July thirty first the Credit
(02:17):
Repair Workshop. So lots of good stuff happening there from
our info. Reach out to them seven seven to two
four six seven thirty one sixty one and they're happy
to give you more details. Oh, fun things coming up
at the Cravis Center we have got June first is
going to be the Cravis Center Dream Awards and they're
(02:37):
celebrating high school musical theater excellence. So it's a great one.
It's got June firy seven pm. Come on out and
support all the kids so when they're their work they've
done throughout the years. It's so cool. June seventh through
the eighth Nikki Glazers coming part of the Alive and
Unwell Comedy Tour that's going to be happening at the
Dreyfus Hall as well, and you can also check out
eight two Pround coming in the later in June. I
(02:59):
think simply goes to Cravis dot org and all the
details are right there for you, and while you're there,
you can check out next season's Cravis on Broadway series,
so I know they have the Whiz coming. Gonna be
a lot of really cool shows. Definitely want to get
your tickets for that. Also happening at the Cravis it
is Ballet Palm Beach's third annual Summer Soiree. It's going
(03:20):
to be on June twelfth, and it's gonna be a
lot of fun. It starts at six pm and for
details you can see the go to Cravis dot org
and get those tickets there as well, which makes it
really nice. And coming up on Saturday, June twenty first,
the Cock Science Center and Aquarium are hosting their Hometown
Heroes event again and this is for like thanking all
(03:42):
the the veterans and people and active service first responders
come on out. It's a great fun family day. Lots
of folks are there. They bring out the little dogs
or you can meet the canine units and they'll have
you know, fire trucks and all the good stuff. So
very kid friendly and then also some some are fun.
Don't put this on your calendar. The thirteenth annual Treasure
(04:04):
Coast Benita Blast is coming. It's a really really fun
fishing tournament. It's August eighth through the ninth and it's
happening at Pirate's Cove Resort and Marina in Stuart. And
this is the one where the boat captains take the
veterans out on the boats and they get to fish
with them. So if you are a boat captain and
you're interested in doing that, simply go to Pirate, email
(04:27):
the folks at Pirate's Cove Resort, or me Palm Beach
Perspective at iHeartMedia dot com and I'll get you all
the details for that. And you can also go to
the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund WVRF dot org for more
details there as well. Reminder from our friends at the
Norton they got some cool things coming up. They have
a big community Day part of their juneteenth cent celebration
(04:48):
that's happening Saturday, June fourteenth from eleven am four pm
free admission and then part of their summer at the Norton.
Pomp Beach County residents receive free admission to the museum Saturday.
Going on now through August thirtieth. Got to remind him
our friends at the Spady Cultural Museum in Delray Beach,
they're celebrating their one hundred years of service. And coming
(05:11):
up is their juneteenth Spady House Party and that is
going to be Tuesday, June seventeenth from five thirty to
seven pm something. Go to Spady dot org and all
the details will be there for you. And coming up,
Saint Lucie County is hosting their nighttime Sea Turtle walks.
So these are really cool. I've done one is just fascinating.
This is one where the turtles come up and lay
(05:32):
the eggs, and then later on the end of the
summer and into the fall, I'm be doing the ones
where the hatchlings are going into the ocean. I've not
seen that one yet. That's on my list to check out.
That's something a fun thing to check out. Reach out
to Eric for more details seven seven two four six
two seventeen ninety one and you can fill you in
on all that. Armory Art Center's got a lot of
(05:53):
cool things going on off for this summer as well.
They have art camps exhibitions. Definitely take a minute or
two and head over there and check out all their
awesome stuff they have going on. Go to Armoryart dot
org and all the different classes and stuff are there
in the summer camps and their current exhibitions. Oh reminder
from our friends at the Flaglar Museum, they're offering free
(06:16):
admission on Founder's Day, so that's going to be from
ten am to five pm on June fifth. Definitely check
that out. And of course it wouldn't be somewhere without
a fun reading challenge from the library. So they always
do fun different library summer sessions. So this summer it
is going to be read Books Explore New Worlds. That's
the theme. I love it, so you can reach out
(06:37):
to you Palm each County libraries, Mandel Public Library, Downtown
West Palm, and of course all the libraries in Saint
Lucie County all doing the theme. And they've got lots
of fun things on how much you should read to
the kids like ten minutes, the little kids read fifteen minutes,
the older tweens like thirty minutes, and mom and Dad
I should be reading like thirty forty minutes as well.
Make a nice, fun family affair. Speaking of finding out
(06:59):
more information, I want to welcome my guests for today.
I have Michael Barnett, director of Development for Restoration Bridge.
Good morning, good morning, nice to be with you. Thank you,
oh hey, thanks for coming in. So obviously all kinds
of amazing things happening in the community, but I want
to have you come in because you do some amazing
things with your organization as well. So fill the listeners
and I in a little bit about that.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well. Certainly, as I was listening to you read that
list of events, I realized it took me almost a
lifetime of living in Pombey's County becoming a County commissioner
before I learned about the amazing Nordon Museum, Spady Museum,
the Flaglely Museum, which I hadn't even been to yet
at relatives visit from New York a few weeks ago
who went to the Flaglely Museum before I had a
(07:41):
chance to. So I have a lot of explore up
ploring to do. But I'm with Restoration Bridge International. I
just joined the team, but I've worked with them during
my time as a County commissioner over the last two
and a half years. It's a five oh one c
three nonprofit whose job is to collect and distribute food
tons of food to thousands of people at pantries, food drives, churches,
(08:06):
and approximately two hundred and fifty different food distribution events
throughout the county, in all corners of pomp Beach County.
There are many thousands of food insecure people in our county,
not just in the district I represented in the Lake
Worth corridor, but from Belglade to Revere Beach, down to
Delray Beach and everywhere in between. It's a great organization
(08:28):
of mostly volunteers who are dedicated, who really love their
neighbors and love the work they do. And we have
great partners who support us, like Food Share, Feeding America,
Feeding South Florida. We have a great partnership with pomp
Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw, who's allowing us to use
(08:49):
some land at the Stockade for our warehouse and office needs.
It's an organization where the community has come together to
help people in need. And there's a great in Palm
Beach County.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I agree. I have friends that are school teachers, and
if those kids haven't had breakfast, they really have a
hard time focusing on school because they're just hungry.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Right, exactly right. And you know, in the rich county
like Palm Beach in one of the wealthiest states in
the country. They shouldn't be that way, but it is.
And we've come together as an organization. Twenty years ago,
Dan West, pastor Dan West, put this organization together to
(09:30):
just do one thing. Take care of your neighbor. Feed
your neighbor. We see at food drives, especially our largest
food drive on Saturday mornings at the Point and Beach Mall.
If you want to come by, if you want to volunteer,
you want to help out, or if you need food,
you get in line. It's a long line though, hundreds
of cars every single morning, lined up for hours before
we even start distributing the food approximately nine am in
(09:52):
the morning. Two saturdays ago, we passed out food to
about fifteen hundred cars. Last week last Saturday, we passed
out food to about two thousand cars. The food supplies
are getting smaller, but the need is increasing. We've had
the mayor of Boyton Beach come to visit us to
take a look at the operations herself. Everyone who sees
(10:15):
what Restoration Bridge does for our community really admires and
loves and wants to help. And I'm hoping that as
the development director, they just hired me to help with
fundraising and gaining exposure for the organization, more people will
get to know about Restoration Bridge and want to help well.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And that's what I'm here for, to help you get
the word out. So obviously we mentioned volunteers and obviously
they're like you said, the need is increasing, that's right.
So part of what people like, I know, people donate food.
Sometimes they donate their time, but I've often heard that
like say, if I can donate ten dollars, you can
(10:53):
feed like twenty people with that ten dollars because you
can consolidate the money or the buys.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Correct, we don't pay for the food. It's donated to
us by farms, local farms, food banks, so we don't
hold the food. We distribute it. So there's no real
cost in purchasing food because we don't have to purchase it.
The money that you donate to Restoration Bridge helps us
with the food programs of collecting, organizing it and distributing
(11:23):
it to dozens of the sites around the county. Ninety
seven cents out of every dollar you give to Restoration
Bridge goes directly towards our food programs. We have very
low overhead, Like I said, the Sheriff of Pombeach County
has helped us by giving us a space, low cost,
low rent for our warehouse and office needs. We have
(11:44):
to pay for gas for the trucks, we have to
pay for truck drivers. But most of our volunteers, even
a lot of the volunteers at the warehouse are volunteers,
unpaid volunteers.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Also, that's fantastic, And I like the fact that you
said like ninety seven percent of the money I donate
goes that's a really good low overhead to three percent.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Good job, right, But we do have to cover our
overhead as minimal as it is. That's why they brought
me on. You know, in my past life, recent past life,
I was county commissioner. I ran a strong race, was unsuccessful, unfortunately,
but I raised a lot of money. And even in
my life as a political party chair, I had to
(12:23):
raise tons of money for the party. So that's what
I'm doing, using my skills to reach out to people.
I know, the connections I made, the relationships I've built,
continued to nurture them, not for myself but for this
nonprofit that does so much good for our community.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Well, I think a lot of folks, like people in media,
people in the different political fields and offices. We often
have multiple careers, multiple jobs.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
We do.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
A lot of us end up working for nonprofits because
we have that ability to connect people right and whether
it be connecting the money to the right part, finding
a new sponsor, creating like the synergy and a nice
relationship with the Sheriff's department where they youat what I'm saying,
because they want people to be happy and healthy and
fed as well. Exactly, the happier, healthier people are less crime.
(13:14):
I win for everybody.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Kids do better in school when they're not starving or
hungry and thinking about their next meal or whether they're
going to go home that day and not have anything
to eat till the next morning when they have to
come back to school and get you know, participate in
the free lunch and breakfast program. That's the need. We
are kind of the bridge. It's built into our name,
restoration bridge, bridging that gap between resources, the vast resources
(13:38):
we have in our county and our partners throughout the
farming communities, the supermarkets, and those who are desperately in need.
I mean, even before I moved to the center part
of the county for my job as commissioner two and
a half years ago, I didn't realize just how serious
that need is. Most of these drives that we've helped
(13:59):
to set up have lines of cars miles long. People
need to make a decision are we going to pay
our electric bill or are we going to eat? That's
a really tough decision, and most of us don't have
to make, but many, many, many, many thousands of people
here in Palm Beach County have to make that decision
every day. And it's not just Palm Beach County. It's
a problem that is endemic to this entire state of Florida,
(14:24):
and if not the entire country, I think the entire country.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
So I have friends in other areas they have the
same kind of issues where the food banks or pantries
are getting empty, you know, right, and they'll send out
a call and people donate what they money they can
or food or however they do it. Like I knew personally,
went oh gosh. A couple months ago, we were at
Panera and they were closing and they're like, did you
want to purchase anything else? We're like, oh, We're good,
Like okay, because they were all of that fresh baked
(14:50):
stuff was going to the food pants Rory. They just
donated and the guy came. It was one of the
churches as part of the food distribution network. They just came,
picked up, said thank you so much, thrilled. The very
next morning that was going to be like the breakfast
pastry for all these folks, and I was like, that's amazing.
But those people volunteer their time every day to come
in and pick that up to make sure it gets there,
(15:12):
and then the businesses were happy. They don't want to
waste the food, so they donate it, and you know,
it's a win win for everybody.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
That's exactly what our volunteers do. And we're actually in
need of new vehicles fans in order to pick up
and transport and deliver this food from supermarkets, from sprouts,
from publics, from wind Dixie, from Peril Farms, from Feeding America,
from the food Bank. This is good food that otherwise
(15:39):
would be discarded. It's not out of data, it's not expired.
But these the supermarkets, these stores need to restock their
their shelves with fresh produce now they could and sell it.
It's not out of date. I remember when I worked
at winn Dixie as a as a high schooler and
a college student. We had to throw away anything that
(15:59):
was expired for liability reasons. You can't give people, you
can't donate to anybody, give it away, or sell expired food.
And it was sad because I would throw this good
food but was expired into the dumpster and see people
in the neighborhood climbing into those dumpsters is grabbing gallons
of milk that we had no choice but to discard.
(16:19):
We tried to give them a gift certificate so that
they could go back inside the store and purchase fresh,
unexpired food. But it's a very bad situation people, especially
when you have kids to take care of. You do
what you have to do. But yeah, thank goodness for
you know, it's not just Restoration, brids's other organizations. I
just happened to develop a good relationship with them. During
(16:40):
my time as commissioner, I saw firsthand the food distribution centers.
I participated in a lot of these drives with my staff,
and I'm proud to be able to work with them
now that I'm out of government work.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
I think it's fantastic. Of course, we were talking about volunteers,
all these wonderful people donating their times, so be kudos
to them. But you are obviously looking for more volunteers
all the time. But you need some very specific volunteers now.
People who can operate a fork left right or have
a special cdo license.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Thanks right, People who can drive trucks, who can operate forklifts,
who can perform warehouse tasks. We also, of course need
volunteers at the food distribution sites. Every We have two
hundred and fifty different events food distribution events around the
county every month. We work with private organizations who have
(17:30):
not only donated their financial resources, but who have encouraged
and recruited their employees to participate in food drive events
as volunteers packing up the food, distributing in it on
their own free time, and people are happy to do some.
(17:50):
We get a lot of volunteers at dar Boyant Beach
Drive on Saturday mornings, which is our largest of the county.
Two thousand people served just last weekend. And like we
talked about, the need is growing, and there's the demand
for food increases, the demand and need for volunteers to
help distribute this food increases.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
You do this food on distribution every Saturday at the boitebiche.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Mall every Saturday.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, and what time does it start.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
We start passing food out at nine am, but our
volunteers arrive as early as five six in the morning
to set up bagging up the groceries palettes of produce.
I was there a couple of weeks ago, just bagging
hundreds and hundreds of bags of cucumbers and zucchini and
green beans. We have some bagging up tomatoes. We have
others packing up meats and packages and ground beef or chicken.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
I talked to I think it was list On, one
of the ladies from the Palm Beach County Food Bank,
and they were really excited because they got some kind
of machine that you could bag the rice with it.
Could you put the big, huge pack of palette of
rice in the machine like a hopper and then fill
individual bags. He's like, everybody wants to do that job
because there was a cool machine. And I'm like, I
(18:59):
kind of went do that job now and she lost it.
Come on over and volunteer as commissioner.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I've been to the food bank. I saw what it
looked like before they opened up. That really nice, brand
new kitchen. That's not something Restoration Bridge does we take
the food that is given to us. We don't repackage
or anything. We just hand it off as it is.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Okay, that's good to know as well, all right. So
the other thing is part of Restoration Bridge on International
is a volunteer. But you work with folks who've been
going through recovery and give them a place to volunteer
and find purpose, correct.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Correct, lots of opportunities to help out. I worked with
them before I became an employee with the Restoration Bridge.
They did food pantries at the Homeless Resources Center and
the Senior Senior Resource Center on Lakeworth Road. A lot
of these folks rely on the Senior Resource Center for
(19:50):
their only meals of the day. They came to me
as commissioner. They said, Mike, we're grateful for these free meals,
but we would like some healthier options, some vegetables in
the meals. So I talked to the administrator, of course,
and they took care of that problem. But I also thought,
maybe we get Restoration Bridge in here. These seniors they
spend all morning engaging in their activities and commisserating with
(20:15):
each other, and then they get back on the bus
and head home. I thought, maybe at least once a month,
we could have a food pantry set up by Restoration Bridge.
These folks could collect vegetables and meats and all types
of produce and vegetables and groceries to take with them
no charge, so they can make meals of their own
for the next week or so. And we could do that,
why not once a month. The seniors at the resource
(20:36):
center loved it. The folks at Community Services said, bring
it back, let's do it every month. It was a
simple idea that worked. Restoration Bridge had this extra food
that they wanted to make sure was put to good use,
and we did that not just there, but at other
churches and other pantries. And that's what Restoration Bridge does.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
I think that's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
And a lot of those.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Folks at the Senior Resource in the Housing Resource Center,
visitors from up north. They're receiving treatment from the county
for whatever issues that they're dealing with. Whyever, whatever reason,
they moved down here, and the Restoration Bridge is meeting
there their physical need for good resources, good nutrients.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Well, yeah, so obviously you're meeting a physical need. And also,
like I think when people come and volunteer. You get
so much back personally from volunteering. Right, you're helping somebody,
but there's a big psychological benefit to the volunteer, and
a lot of times you need to realize it. You
actually end up feeling good because you did something to
help somebody else.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Well, you know, it's I guess the God's economy or
the laws of nature or something. The more you give,
you're actually getting back in return more than you actually
give when you're helping others. I saw this when we
set up a food drive with Pompey's County Sheriff's Office
at a community in my district. It was very rundown
and poor, Casa del Monte, a very play community of
(22:01):
trailers and mobile homes, lots of drugs, lots of violence
and trafficking in there. But the people were so grateful
when we carried boxes of food to their houses or
when they came and got in line at the food drive.
I would work with my assistant chiefs of staff from
the county and we would help volunteer with the Sheriff's
office passing out food. It's a great feeling to see
(22:21):
these people how grateful they were to receive this help.
But they might and the kids might otherwise have gone
hungry if not for Restoration Bridge and the partnership we
have with the Pumpey's County Sheriff's Office.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Oh, I think that's fantastic. And I think it's so
great that like all the different parts of the community
and the Sheriff's department, you guys, even the county commissioners,
like when you're on the commission are recognizing the need
and trying different things to make it work to help
the public be healthy.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Yes, exactly, I wouldn't trade it for anything else. I
miss being on the Border County commissioners, But the work
I'm doing now is the best part of the stuff
I did as a commissioner without having to sit through
zoning hearings and comp plan hearings and all the boring stuff.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
See. Well, yeah, so you found your niche you know,
which is cool, right, And I think it's great. And
like you said, now you have those connections to make
stronger bonds to help the community get the needs to
things they need, whether it be food or place to
help with their recovery. Right, So they're focused, they've got
a purpose.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Just to be clear, we don't provide recovery services or
housing or anything like that. It's just food distribution. We
work with all other organizations to provide those other services,
but we just do food distribution.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
That's your part of it.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Gotcha right?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
How do people get a hold of you as a
website phone number on social media?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Uh? Yes, we are on Facebook. Just type in Restoration
Bridge International, or you could also visit our website restoration
Bridge dot com. We also have a telephone number. You
can text the word give give to five six one
six three nine eight six three six and you can
donate I phone, or you could also just mail us
(24:03):
at Restoration Bridge International. You can find our address on
our website restoration Bridge dot com.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
I like that. So, however they want to donate, you're
willing to accept the money, And I should say, so
they're willing to donate, whether it be time or money,
time or treasure, I should say.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
It's all very much appreciated and badly needed any And
like I said, ninety seven cents out of every dollar
goes directly to our food operations. We have very low overhead,
so you can count on your money being spent to
help directly feed women families and children in our community.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
The more shows I do, the more I realize there
is actually a large number of people that have food
and security in our county right and this is a
great way to help people out, whether you can volunteer
or become a sponsor.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
So obviously you do your food distribution every Saturday in
the Point Beach Mall. Is it like one specific store
area that they need to come to, or.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
You're pulling off of Hungress where the seers used to be. Okay,
the first thing you see is a huge long line
of cars, hundreds of cars, so.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
You don't want to cut the line. This is my
massom which way you need to come in?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Right?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Right?
Speaker 2 (25:11):
That could get ugly.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
If you want to volunteer, we have people directing traffic.
You can just let them know and they'll direct you
to the parking lot where we can We stage our
volunteer teams and we get there early in the morning
of five six in the morning, So it takes a
lot of time to prepare to distribute food to two
thousand cars. But once we start passing the food out
(25:34):
about nine am, we go till the food runs out,
or about twelve o'clock.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Okay, so walk me through the process. I get up,
I'm coming this Saturday. Do I need to let you
know ahead of time that I'm coming to volunteer? Do
you need like a headcount of people before working? You
show up?
Speaker 3 (25:48):
They just show up and you'll show me what to
do exactly. That's what most people do, and we take
all volunteers. There's always something that can be done. I
showed up to volunteer just bagging cucumbers, and the que
combers never stop coming, and.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
I could do that, I could do that. I'm thinking
it has to be something simple that I can do,
you know.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
And after we start bagging up the food, we have
any people the same people to pass out the food.
The cars drive up one at a time with their
trunk doors open. There's usually something written on the windshield
that indicates how how many families are in the car
one family, two family, three families, and then that tells
our volunteers how many bags to pick up, how many
bags of produce, or how many cases of water, or
(26:28):
how many packages of chicken or beef or this or that.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Right, So that's how I come to volunteer. Now, if
I happen to be one of the families who needs
assistance with the food because I lost my job and
you know, I just need help covering till the next
next job or next paycheck comes in. And some people
actually have jobs, but they don't get paid enough, right,
so I know that's also a big issue. Do they
just pull up and do they have to like show
(26:54):
some kind of papers. Do they register somewhere to come
get the food?
Speaker 3 (26:58):
Nope, they just show up, get in line after they've
received their food. We asked them to register so we
know that they've already received a donation. We want to
make sure we have enough to provide food to everybody
who gets in the line. We don't want to be
given three, four, five times to the same people over
and over again because there is such a huge need.
(27:19):
But no, no, we don't ask for papers. Anybody who
needs food and can come. We don't judge a book
by its cover. Some of these people maybe are not
homeless or unemployed. They just struggling. A lot of folks
are struggling and have to make a decision do I
keep delights on or do I buy groceries for the week.
(27:39):
Some people may have just lost their jobs. They're driving
up in the Mercedes Benz or Lexis or Cadillac Escalate
and you're thinking they should be able to afford their
own groceries. Look at what they're driving up and without
realizing that that might be all they have left in
the world. They might be living in those vehicles, just
having lost their job or maybe been evicted from their homes.
(28:01):
So anybody who comes up, we make sure that their
needs are taken care of.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
I think that's fantastic. Again, let's get the phone number
and the website for folks to like reach out.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
I appreciate that very much. If you want to help
Restoration Bridge, we have a phone number that you can
text the word give give E to five six one
six three nine eight six three six, or you can
donate by visiting restoration Bridge dot com. And you also
can send a donation by mail to Restoration Bridge International
(28:36):
PO Box five four two two four three, Greenacres, Florida,
three three four five four.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
So let's get that address again.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
The mailing address if you want to mail a donation
is Restoration Bridge International, PO Box five four two two
four three, Greenacres, Florida three three four four five four.
You can also visit our website Restoration Bridge dot com.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
We'll give a shout out to all the partners that
are working with you.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
But we have a lot of folks who care about
not just the work we do, but the people we help.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
You know.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Sheriff Bradshaw has been an amazing partner working with us
IS deputies help at the distribution centers, managing traffic, and
the Sheriff has been very good to Restoration Bridge International.
We have partnerships with Feeding America Feeding South Florida, where
we get a large bulk of our food that we
(29:34):
distribute and the trucks come in every single morning. Our
volunteers sort and pack and redistribute these items for delivery
to food bound trees and churches and distribution centers around
the county. Many farms in the Agricultural Reserve, Pero farms
and other farms who have provided all types of produce cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes,
(29:58):
green beans, everything you can think think of. We're making
sure the people who needed most getting good, nutritious and
healthy food that the farmers can't sell otherwise, but it's
still fresh and healthy and good for distribution and consumption.
Many other groups like the Food Bank, Farm share, help
(30:19):
us out. We couldn't do this if it's not a
community effort. No person, no organization is an island.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Very true. So again, before we go, let's get the
website for folks to come and find out more information.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Absolutely, if you want more information about us, Restoration Bridge International,
who we are, who we help, or if you want
to get involved in volunteer or donate and help us
with our overhead and the costs, visit restoration Bridge dot
com five six one six three nine eight six three six.
(30:54):
Actually you can text five six one six three nine
eight six three six text the word give if you'd
like to donate.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
And of course for all the kids, all the students
listening who need some more of those service hours, this
is a great way to come out and get them.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Absolutely every Saturday and many of our drives we have
college students come and volunteer and we make sure they
get college credit for or community service credits, whatever the
case may be. We don't turn anybody away who wants
to receive help or who wants to give help or
give their time, and we are grateful for all of
our donors and volunteers.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Very cool, well, Michael, thank you so much for coming
in and sharing all the good news with us today,
for doing such a cool thing in the community. It's
obviously very much needed and definitely appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
I appreciate your time. Thank you so much for letting
us get us, get our worried out and share about
what we do and who we help. We believe the
more people who learn about Restoration Bridge International, they'll want
to get involved and help us so we can help
more people. They're about one hundred thousand people who are
fed through our program every month, and if you might
not believe it, one out of every five kids in
this county are suffering from food and security. It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
So obviously you guys are definitely taking care of a
really big need. So that's awesome. And need more information,
reach out to me Palm Beach Perspective at iHeartMedia dot com.
Happy to foreart on all the details. Don't forget you
can always download the shows a podcast on our iHeartRadio
app and hope everybody has a wonderful weekend YouTube.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Thank you Deva.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
I'm dev Nev and this has been my perspective. Remember
life is good, so be your healthiest view and let's
get out there and live it until next week.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Enjoy i Heeart Communities, the community engagement arm of the station,
champions critical issues and causes in the area of health
and wellness, social impact, education, literacy, and music and art.
Join us next week for Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective
Ihearts Communities Presents Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective, which dead
and now good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome to Calm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective. I'm your host,
dev New Thanks for spending your weekend with me. All
kinds of great things going on, and don't forget there
is a Memorial Day program happening Veterans Memorial Park Monday,
May twenty six and that is sponsored by the Veterans
of Foreign Wars Post ten zero five, five to six,
And if you need more information you can call them
(00:28):
five six one nine six three six seven zero two.
And then of course there is definitely still time to
register the kiddos for summer camps happening at the Oxpo
Eco Center. Lots of fun ones happening. This one they're
going to do an art chury, so some archery and
some art so I like this combination. Everybody's all into
(00:49):
the archery now, and I got to be honest, I'm
going to try the class. I haven't made it yet.
They fill it really fast. So this one's happening June
sixteenth through the twentieth from nine am to five pm,
and it's students entering grades nine through twelve. I give
more information about that all the other programs they've got
going on for the summer at oxpoeco dot com oxbow
(01:10):
Eco dot com. Oh, and they're doing this speaking of archery, Hey,
here we go. So Saint Lucy County the Wreck 'n'
Roll program are doing a reck and Roll archery programs
this year. You can sign up for the Saint lucycclasses.
These are coming Wednesdays from eleven am till noon going
June fourth through July twenty third, and these are designed
(01:32):
for ages ten to seventeen. They're gonna be taking place
at the Lonwood Tennis Center and that's located at one
three zero two Virginia Avenue in Fort Pierce. From our details,
go to Saint lucyco dot gov and it's all listed
there for you, plus other programs and stuff they're running there.
City four per center reminder, they're launching a bunch of
free community workshop series. So the next one coming up
(01:54):
is going to be May twenty ninth, and this one
is a property appraiser workshop. June twenty fourth is going
to be pest mitigation workshop, how to get rid of
the past without damaging the environment and the water Supply.
June twenty six will be Know Your Rights Is Attendant
Part One, and then July seventeenth, Know Your Rights Is
Attendant Part two, and then July thirty first the Credit
(02:17):
Repair Workshop. So lots of good stuff happening there from
our info. Reach out to them seven seven to two
four six seven thirty one sixty one and they're happy
to give you more details. Oh, fun things coming up
at the Cravis Center we have got June first is
going to be the Cravis Center Dream Awards and they're
(02:37):
celebrating high school musical theater excellence. So it's a great one.
It's got June firy seven pm. Come on out and
support all the kids so when they're their work they've
done throughout the years. It's so cool. June seventh through
the eighth Nikki Glazers coming part of the Alive and
Unwell Comedy Tour that's going to be happening at the
Dreyfus Hall as well, and you can also check out
eight two Pround coming in the later in June. I
(02:59):
think simply goes to Cravis dot org and all the
details are right there for you, and while you're there,
you can check out next season's Cravis on Broadway series,
so I know they have the Whiz coming. Gonna be
a lot of really cool shows. Definitely want to get
your tickets for that. Also happening at the Cravis it
is Ballet Palm Beach's third annual Summer Soiree. It's going
(03:20):
to be on June twelfth, and it's gonna be a
lot of fun. It starts at six pm and for
details you can see the go to Cravis dot org
and get those tickets there as well, which makes it
really nice. And coming up on Saturday, June twenty first,
the Cock Science Center and Aquarium are hosting their Hometown
Heroes event again and this is for like thanking all
(03:42):
the the veterans and people and active service first responders
come on out. It's a great fun family day. Lots
of folks are there. They bring out the little dogs
or you can meet the canine units and they'll have
you know, fire trucks and all the good stuff. So
very kid friendly and then also some some are fun.
Don't put this on your calendar. The thirteenth annual Treasure
(04:04):
Coast Benita Blast is coming. It's a really really fun
fishing tournament. It's August eighth through the ninth and it's
happening at Pirate's Cove Resort and Marina in Stuart. And
this is the one where the boat captains take the
veterans out on the boats and they get to fish
with them. So if you are a boat captain and
you're interested in doing that, simply go to Pirate, email
(04:27):
the folks at Pirate's Cove Resort, or me Palm Beach
Perspective at iHeartMedia dot com and I'll get you all
the details for that. And you can also go to
the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund WVRF dot org for more
details there as well. Reminder from our friends at the
Norton they got some cool things coming up. They have
a big community Day part of their juneteenth cent celebration
(04:48):
that's happening Saturday, June fourteenth from eleven am four pm
free admission and then part of their summer at the Norton.
Pomp Beach County residents receive free admission to the museum Saturday.
Going on now through August thirtieth. Got to remind him
our friends at the Spady Cultural Museum in Delray Beach,
they're celebrating their one hundred years of service. And coming
(05:11):
up is their juneteenth Spady House Party and that is
going to be Tuesday, June seventeenth from five thirty to
seven pm something. Go to Spady dot org and all
the details will be there for you. And coming up,
Saint Lucie County is hosting their nighttime Sea Turtle walks.
So these are really cool. I've done one is just fascinating.
This is one where the turtles come up and lay
(05:32):
the eggs, and then later on the end of the
summer and into the fall, I'm be doing the ones
where the hatchlings are going into the ocean. I've not
seen that one yet. That's on my list to check out.
That's something a fun thing to check out. Reach out
to Eric for more details seven seven two four six
two seventeen ninety one and you can fill you in
on all that. Armory Art Center's got a lot of
(05:53):
cool things going on off for this summer as well.
They have art camps exhibitions. Definitely take a minute or
two and head over there and check out all their
awesome stuff they have going on. Go to Armoryart dot
org and all the different classes and stuff are there
in the summer camps and their current exhibitions. Oh reminder
from our friends at the Flaglar Museum, they're offering free
(06:16):
admission on Founder's Day, so that's going to be from
ten am to five pm on June fifth. Definitely check
that out. And of course it wouldn't be somewhere without
a fun reading challenge from the library. So they always
do fun different library summer sessions. So this summer it
is going to be read Books Explore New Worlds. That's
the theme. I love it, so you can reach out
(06:37):
to you Palm each County libraries, Mandel Public Library, Downtown
West Palm, and of course all the libraries in Saint
Lucie County all doing the theme. And they've got lots
of fun things on how much you should read to
the kids like ten minutes, the little kids read fifteen minutes,
the older tweens like thirty minutes, and mom and Dad
I should be reading like thirty forty minutes as well.
Make a nice, fun family affair. Speaking of finding out
(06:59):
more information, I want to welcome my guests for today.
I have Michael Barnett, director of Development for Restoration Bridge.
Good morning, good morning, nice to be with you. Thank you,
oh hey, thanks for coming in. So obviously all kinds
of amazing things happening in the community, but I want
to have you come in because you do some amazing
things with your organization as well. So fill the listeners
and I in a little bit about that.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well. Certainly, as I was listening to you read that
list of events, I realized it took me almost a
lifetime of living in Pombey's County becoming a County commissioner
before I learned about the amazing Nordon Museum, Spady Museum,
the Flaglely Museum, which I hadn't even been to yet
at relatives visit from New York a few weeks ago
who went to the Flaglely Museum before I had a
(07:41):
chance to. So I have a lot of explore up
ploring to do. But I'm with Restoration Bridge International. I
just joined the team, but I've worked with them during
my time as a County commissioner over the last two
and a half years. It's a five oh one c
three nonprofit whose job is to collect and distribute food
tons of food to thousands of people at pantries, food drives, churches,
(08:06):
and approximately two hundred and fifty different food distribution events
throughout the county, in all corners of pomp Beach County.
There are many thousands of food insecure people in our county,
not just in the district I represented in the Lake
Worth corridor, but from Belglade to Revere Beach, down to
Delray Beach and everywhere in between. It's a great organization
(08:28):
of mostly volunteers who are dedicated, who really love their
neighbors and love the work they do. And we have
great partners who support us, like Food Share, Feeding America,
Feeding South Florida. We have a great partnership with pomp
Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw, who's allowing us to use
(08:49):
some land at the Stockade for our warehouse and office needs.
It's an organization where the community has come together to
help people in need. And there's a great in Palm
Beach County.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I agree. I have friends that are school teachers, and
if those kids haven't had breakfast, they really have a
hard time focusing on school because they're just hungry.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Right, exactly right. And you know, in the rich county
like Palm Beach in one of the wealthiest states in
the country. They shouldn't be that way, but it is.
And we've come together as an organization. Twenty years ago,
Dan West, pastor Dan West, put this organization together to
(09:30):
just do one thing. Take care of your neighbor. Feed
your neighbor. We see at food drives, especially our largest
food drive on Saturday mornings at the Point and Beach Mall.
If you want to come by, if you want to volunteer,
you want to help out, or if you need food,
you get in line. It's a long line though, hundreds
of cars every single morning, lined up for hours before
we even start distributing the food approximately nine am in
(09:52):
the morning. Two saturdays ago, we passed out food to
about fifteen hundred cars. Last week last Saturday, we passed
out food to about two thousand cars. The food supplies
are getting smaller, but the need is increasing. We've had
the mayor of Boyton Beach come to visit us to
take a look at the operations herself. Everyone who sees
(10:15):
what Restoration Bridge does for our community really admires and
loves and wants to help. And I'm hoping that as
the development director, they just hired me to help with
fundraising and gaining exposure for the organization, more people will
get to know about Restoration Bridge and want to help well.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And that's what I'm here for, to help you get
the word out. So obviously we mentioned volunteers and obviously
they're like you said, the need is increasing, that's right.
So part of what people like, I know, people donate food.
Sometimes they donate their time, but I've often heard that
like say, if I can donate ten dollars, you can
(10:53):
feed like twenty people with that ten dollars because you
can consolidate the money or the buys.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Correct, we don't pay for the food. It's donated to
us by farms, local farms, food banks, so we don't
hold the food. We distribute it. So there's no real
cost in purchasing food because we don't have to purchase it.
The money that you donate to Restoration Bridge helps us
with the food programs of collecting, organizing it and distributing
(11:23):
it to dozens of the sites around the county. Ninety
seven cents out of every dollar you give to Restoration
Bridge goes directly towards our food programs. We have very
low overhead, Like I said, the Sheriff of Pombeach County
has helped us by giving us a space, low cost,
low rent for our warehouse and office needs. We have
(11:44):
to pay for gas for the trucks, we have to
pay for truck drivers. But most of our volunteers, even
a lot of the volunteers at the warehouse are volunteers,
unpaid volunteers.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Also, that's fantastic, And I like the fact that you
said like ninety seven percent of the money I donate
goes that's a really good low overhead to three percent.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Good job, right, But we do have to cover our
overhead as minimal as it is. That's why they brought
me on. You know, in my past life, recent past life,
I was county commissioner. I ran a strong race, was unsuccessful, unfortunately,
but I raised a lot of money. And even in
my life as a political party chair, I had to
(12:23):
raise tons of money for the party. So that's what
I'm doing, using my skills to reach out to people.
I know, the connections I made, the relationships I've built,
continued to nurture them, not for myself but for this
nonprofit that does so much good for our community.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Well, I think a lot of folks, like people in media,
people in the different political fields and offices. We often
have multiple careers, multiple jobs.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
We do.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
A lot of us end up working for nonprofits because
we have that ability to connect people right and whether
it be connecting the money to the right part, finding
a new sponsor, creating like the synergy and a nice
relationship with the Sheriff's department where they youat what I'm saying,
because they want people to be happy and healthy and
fed as well. Exactly, the happier, healthier people are less crime.
(13:14):
I win for everybody.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Kids do better in school when they're not starving or
hungry and thinking about their next meal or whether they're
going to go home that day and not have anything
to eat till the next morning when they have to
come back to school and get you know, participate in
the free lunch and breakfast program. That's the need. We
are kind of the bridge. It's built into our name,
restoration bridge, bridging that gap between resources, the vast resources
(13:38):
we have in our county and our partners throughout the
farming communities, the supermarkets, and those who are desperately in need.
I mean, even before I moved to the center part
of the county for my job as commissioner two and
a half years ago, I didn't realize just how serious
that need is. Most of these drives that we've helped
(13:59):
to set up have lines of cars miles long. People
need to make a decision are we going to pay
our electric bill or are we going to eat? That's
a really tough decision, and most of us don't have
to make, but many, many, many, many thousands of people
here in Palm Beach County have to make that decision
every day. And it's not just Palm Beach County. It's
a problem that is endemic to this entire state of Florida,
(14:24):
and if not the entire country, I think the entire country.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
So I have friends in other areas they have the
same kind of issues where the food banks or pantries
are getting empty, you know, right, and they'll send out
a call and people donate what they money they can
or food or however they do it. Like I knew personally,
went oh gosh. A couple months ago, we were at
Panera and they were closing and they're like, did you
want to purchase anything else? We're like, oh, We're good,
Like okay, because they were all of that fresh baked
(14:50):
stuff was going to the food pants Rory. They just
donated and the guy came. It was one of the
churches as part of the food distribution network. They just came,
picked up, said thank you so much, thrilled. The very
next morning that was going to be like the breakfast
pastry for all these folks, and I was like, that's amazing.
But those people volunteer their time every day to come
in and pick that up to make sure it gets there,
(15:12):
and then the businesses were happy. They don't want to
waste the food, so they donate it, and you know,
it's a win win for everybody.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
That's exactly what our volunteers do. And we're actually in
need of new vehicles fans in order to pick up
and transport and deliver this food from supermarkets, from sprouts,
from publics, from wind Dixie, from Peril Farms, from Feeding America,
from the food Bank. This is good food that otherwise
(15:39):
would be discarded. It's not out of data, it's not expired.
But these the supermarkets, these stores need to restock their
their shelves with fresh produce now they could and sell it.
It's not out of date. I remember when I worked
at winn Dixie as a as a high schooler and
a college student. We had to throw away anything that
(15:59):
was expired for liability reasons. You can't give people, you
can't donate to anybody, give it away, or sell expired food.
And it was sad because I would throw this good
food but was expired into the dumpster and see people
in the neighborhood climbing into those dumpsters is grabbing gallons
of milk that we had no choice but to discard.
(16:19):
We tried to give them a gift certificate so that
they could go back inside the store and purchase fresh,
unexpired food. But it's a very bad situation people, especially
when you have kids to take care of. You do
what you have to do. But yeah, thank goodness for
you know, it's not just Restoration, brids's other organizations. I
just happened to develop a good relationship with them. During
(16:40):
my time as commissioner, I saw firsthand the food distribution centers.
I participated in a lot of these drives with my staff,
and I'm proud to be able to work with them
now that I'm out of government work.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
I think it's fantastic. Of course, we were talking about volunteers,
all these wonderful people donating their times, so be kudos
to them. But you are obviously looking for more volunteers
all the time. But you need some very specific volunteers now.
People who can operate a fork left right or have
a special cdo license.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Thanks right, People who can drive trucks, who can operate forklifts,
who can perform warehouse tasks. We also, of course need
volunteers at the food distribution sites. Every We have two
hundred and fifty different events food distribution events around the
county every month. We work with private organizations who have
(17:30):
not only donated their financial resources, but who have encouraged
and recruited their employees to participate in food drive events
as volunteers packing up the food, distributing in it on
their own free time, and people are happy to do some.
(17:50):
We get a lot of volunteers at dar Boyant Beach
Drive on Saturday mornings, which is our largest of the county.
Two thousand people served just last weekend. And like we
talked about, the need is growing, and there's the demand
for food increases, the demand and need for volunteers to
help distribute this food increases.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
You do this food on distribution every Saturday at the boitebiche.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Mall every Saturday.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, and what time does it start.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
We start passing food out at nine am, but our
volunteers arrive as early as five six in the morning
to set up bagging up the groceries palettes of produce.
I was there a couple of weeks ago, just bagging
hundreds and hundreds of bags of cucumbers and zucchini and
green beans. We have some bagging up tomatoes. We have
others packing up meats and packages and ground beef or chicken.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
I talked to I think it was list On, one
of the ladies from the Palm Beach County Food Bank,
and they were really excited because they got some kind
of machine that you could bag the rice with it.
Could you put the big, huge pack of palette of
rice in the machine like a hopper and then fill
individual bags. He's like, everybody wants to do that job
because there was a cool machine. And I'm like, I
(18:59):
kind of went do that job now and she lost it.
Come on over and volunteer as commissioner.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I've been to the food bank. I saw what it
looked like before they opened up. That really nice, brand
new kitchen. That's not something Restoration Bridge does we take
the food that is given to us. We don't repackage
or anything. We just hand it off as it is.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Okay, that's good to know as well, all right. So
the other thing is part of Restoration Bridge on International
is a volunteer. But you work with folks who've been
going through recovery and give them a place to volunteer
and find purpose, correct.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Correct, lots of opportunities to help out. I worked with
them before I became an employee with the Restoration Bridge.
They did food pantries at the Homeless Resources Center and
the Senior Senior Resource Center on Lakeworth Road. A lot
of these folks rely on the Senior Resource Center for
(19:50):
their only meals of the day. They came to me
as commissioner. They said, Mike, we're grateful for these free meals,
but we would like some healthier options, some vegetables in
the meals. So I talked to the administrator, of course,
and they took care of that problem. But I also thought,
maybe we get Restoration Bridge in here. These seniors they
spend all morning engaging in their activities and commisserating with
(20:15):
each other, and then they get back on the bus
and head home. I thought, maybe at least once a month,
we could have a food pantry set up by Restoration Bridge.
These folks could collect vegetables and meats and all types
of produce and vegetables and groceries to take with them
no charge, so they can make meals of their own
for the next week or so. And we could do that,
why not once a month. The seniors at the resource
(20:36):
center loved it. The folks at Community Services said, bring
it back, let's do it every month. It was a
simple idea that worked. Restoration Bridge had this extra food
that they wanted to make sure was put to good use,
and we did that not just there, but at other
churches and other pantries. And that's what Restoration Bridge does.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
I think that's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
And a lot of those.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Folks at the Senior Resource in the Housing Resource Center,
visitors from up north. They're receiving treatment from the county
for whatever issues that they're dealing with. Whyever, whatever reason,
they moved down here, and the Restoration Bridge is meeting
there their physical need for good resources, good nutrients.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Well, yeah, so obviously you're meeting a physical need. And also,
like I think when people come and volunteer. You get
so much back personally from volunteering. Right, you're helping somebody,
but there's a big psychological benefit to the volunteer, and
a lot of times you need to realize it. You
actually end up feeling good because you did something to
help somebody else.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Well, you know, it's I guess the God's economy or
the laws of nature or something. The more you give,
you're actually getting back in return more than you actually
give when you're helping others. I saw this when we
set up a food drive with Pompey's County Sheriff's Office
at a community in my district. It was very rundown
and poor, Casa del Monte, a very play community of
(22:01):
trailers and mobile homes, lots of drugs, lots of violence
and trafficking in there. But the people were so grateful
when we carried boxes of food to their houses or
when they came and got in line at the food drive.
I would work with my assistant chiefs of staff from
the county and we would help volunteer with the Sheriff's
office passing out food. It's a great feeling to see
(22:21):
these people how grateful they were to receive this help.
But they might and the kids might otherwise have gone
hungry if not for Restoration Bridge and the partnership we
have with the Pumpey's County Sheriff's Office.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Oh, I think that's fantastic. And I think it's so
great that like all the different parts of the community
and the Sheriff's department, you guys, even the county commissioners,
like when you're on the commission are recognizing the need
and trying different things to make it work to help
the public be healthy.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Yes, exactly, I wouldn't trade it for anything else. I
miss being on the Border County commissioners, But the work
I'm doing now is the best part of the stuff
I did as a commissioner without having to sit through
zoning hearings and comp plan hearings and all the boring stuff.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
See. Well, yeah, so you found your niche you know,
which is cool, right, And I think it's great. And
like you said, now you have those connections to make
stronger bonds to help the community get the needs to
things they need, whether it be food or place to
help with their recovery. Right, So they're focused, they've got
a purpose.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Just to be clear, we don't provide recovery services or
housing or anything like that. It's just food distribution. We
work with all other organizations to provide those other services,
but we just do food distribution.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
That's your part of it.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Gotcha right?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
How do people get a hold of you as a
website phone number on social media?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Uh? Yes, we are on Facebook. Just type in Restoration
Bridge International, or you could also visit our website restoration
Bridge dot com. We also have a telephone number. You
can text the word give give to five six one
six three nine eight six three six and you can
donate I phone, or you could also just mail us
(24:03):
at Restoration Bridge International. You can find our address on
our website restoration Bridge dot com.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
I like that. So, however they want to donate, you're
willing to accept the money, And I should say, so
they're willing to donate, whether it be time or money,
time or treasure, I should say.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
It's all very much appreciated and badly needed any And
like I said, ninety seven cents out of every dollar
goes directly to our food operations. We have very low overhead,
so you can count on your money being spent to
help directly feed women families and children in our community.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
The more shows I do, the more I realize there
is actually a large number of people that have food
and security in our county right and this is a
great way to help people out, whether you can volunteer
or become a sponsor.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
So obviously you do your food distribution every Saturday in
the Point Beach Mall. Is it like one specific store
area that they need to come to, or.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
You're pulling off of Hungress where the seers used to be. Okay,
the first thing you see is a huge long line
of cars, hundreds of cars, so.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
You don't want to cut the line. This is my
massom which way you need to come in?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Right?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Right?
Speaker 2 (25:11):
That could get ugly.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
If you want to volunteer, we have people directing traffic.
You can just let them know and they'll direct you
to the parking lot where we can We stage our
volunteer teams and we get there early in the morning
of five six in the morning, So it takes a
lot of time to prepare to distribute food to two
thousand cars. But once we start passing the food out
(25:34):
about nine am, we go till the food runs out,
or about twelve o'clock.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Okay, so walk me through the process. I get up,
I'm coming this Saturday. Do I need to let you
know ahead of time that I'm coming to volunteer? Do
you need like a headcount of people before working? You
show up?
Speaker 3 (25:48):
They just show up and you'll show me what to
do exactly. That's what most people do, and we take
all volunteers. There's always something that can be done. I
showed up to volunteer just bagging cucumbers, and the que
combers never stop coming, and.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
I could do that, I could do that. I'm thinking
it has to be something simple that I can do,
you know.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
And after we start bagging up the food, we have
any people the same people to pass out the food.
The cars drive up one at a time with their
trunk doors open. There's usually something written on the windshield
that indicates how how many families are in the car
one family, two family, three families, and then that tells
our volunteers how many bags to pick up, how many
bags of produce, or how many cases of water, or
(26:28):
how many packages of chicken or beef or this or that.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Right, So that's how I come to volunteer. Now, if
I happen to be one of the families who needs
assistance with the food because I lost my job and
you know, I just need help covering till the next
next job or next paycheck comes in. And some people
actually have jobs, but they don't get paid enough, right,
so I know that's also a big issue. Do they
just pull up and do they have to like show
(26:54):
some kind of papers. Do they register somewhere to come
get the food?
Speaker 3 (26:58):
Nope, they just show up, get in line after they've
received their food. We asked them to register so we
know that they've already received a donation. We want to
make sure we have enough to provide food to everybody
who gets in the line. We don't want to be
given three, four, five times to the same people over
and over again because there is such a huge need.
(27:19):
But no, no, we don't ask for papers. Anybody who
needs food and can come. We don't judge a book
by its cover. Some of these people maybe are not
homeless or unemployed. They just struggling. A lot of folks
are struggling and have to make a decision do I
keep delights on or do I buy groceries for the week.
(27:39):
Some people may have just lost their jobs. They're driving
up in the Mercedes Benz or Lexis or Cadillac Escalate
and you're thinking they should be able to afford their
own groceries. Look at what they're driving up and without
realizing that that might be all they have left in
the world. They might be living in those vehicles, just
having lost their job or maybe been evicted from their homes.
(28:01):
So anybody who comes up, we make sure that their
needs are taken care of.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
I think that's fantastic. Again, let's get the phone number
and the website for folks to like reach out.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
I appreciate that very much. If you want to help
Restoration Bridge, we have a phone number that you can
text the word give give E to five six one
six three nine eight six three six, or you can
donate by visiting restoration Bridge dot com. And you also
can send a donation by mail to Restoration Bridge International
(28:36):
PO Box five four two two four three, Greenacres, Florida,
three three four five four.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
So let's get that address again.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
The mailing address if you want to mail a donation
is Restoration Bridge International, PO Box five four two two
four three, Greenacres, Florida three three four four five four.
You can also visit our website Restoration Bridge dot com.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
We'll give a shout out to all the partners that
are working with you.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
But we have a lot of folks who care about
not just the work we do, but the people we help.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
You know.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Sheriff Bradshaw has been an amazing partner working with us
IS deputies help at the distribution centers, managing traffic, and
the Sheriff has been very good to Restoration Bridge International.
We have partnerships with Feeding America Feeding South Florida, where
we get a large bulk of our food that we
(29:34):
distribute and the trucks come in every single morning. Our
volunteers sort and pack and redistribute these items for delivery
to food bound trees and churches and distribution centers around
the county. Many farms in the Agricultural Reserve, Pero farms
and other farms who have provided all types of produce cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes,
(29:58):
green beans, everything you can think think of. We're making
sure the people who needed most getting good, nutritious and
healthy food that the farmers can't sell otherwise, but it's
still fresh and healthy and good for distribution and consumption.
Many other groups like the Food Bank, Farm share, help
(30:19):
us out. We couldn't do this if it's not a
community effort. No person, no organization is an island.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Very true. So again, before we go, let's get the
website for folks to come and find out more information.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Absolutely, if you want more information about us, Restoration Bridge International,
who we are, who we help, or if you want
to get involved in volunteer or donate and help us
with our overhead and the costs, visit restoration Bridge dot
com five six one six three nine eight six three six.
(30:54):
Actually you can text five six one six three nine
eight six three six text the word give if you'd
like to donate.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
And of course for all the kids, all the students
listening who need some more of those service hours, this
is a great way to come out and get them.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Absolutely every Saturday and many of our drives we have
college students come and volunteer and we make sure they
get college credit for or community service credits, whatever the
case may be. We don't turn anybody away who wants
to receive help or who wants to give help or
give their time, and we are grateful for all of
our donors and volunteers.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Very cool, well, Michael, thank you so much for coming
in and sharing all the good news with us today,
for doing such a cool thing in the community. It's
obviously very much needed and definitely appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
I appreciate your time. Thank you so much for letting
us get us, get our worried out and share about
what we do and who we help. We believe the
more people who learn about Restoration Bridge International, they'll want
to get involved and help us so we can help
more people. They're about one hundred thousand people who are
fed through our program every month, and if you might
not believe it, one out of every five kids in
this county are suffering from food and security. It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
So obviously you guys are definitely taking care of a
really big need. So that's awesome. And need more information,
reach out to me Palm Beach Perspective at iHeartMedia dot com.
Happy to foreart on all the details. Don't forget you
can always download the shows a podcast on our iHeartRadio
app and hope everybody has a wonderful weekend YouTube.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Thank you Deva.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
I'm dev Nev and this has been my perspective. Remember
life is good, so be your healthiest view and let's
get out there and live it until next week.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Enjoy i Heeart Communities, the community engagement arm of the station,
champions critical issues and causes in the area of health
and wellness, social impact, education, literacy, and music and art.
Join us next week for Palm Beach Treasure Coast Perspective
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