You don’t have to be homeless or without a job to find yourself at the local food pantry each week, waiting to collect basic rations that will prevent your family from going hungry.

In a time where even the employed are fighting to keep food on the table, Bartow Ford teamed with other Southern Ford Dealers to collect 11,317 non-perishable food items.

The items were part of the annual Sack Hunger food drive, a combined effort of Raymond James Financial, the Glazer Family Foundation, Southern Ford Dealers, and Kraft foods.

The Annual Sack Hunger Food drive collected a total of 15,253 pounds of non-perishable foods; providing 54,621 meals to Tampa-Bay area residents in need of assistance, a more than 80% increase in meals donated than 2010. (Raymond James)

Kristie Carter, Fleet Salesperson, played a tremendous role in raising the items. She is very passionate about the food drive, “No one should go hungry during the holidays, or any other time of the year. It’s times like these that you are thankful for what you have.”

Bartow Ford raised more than any other Ford dealership in its region with 2,583 food items. The proceeds from Bartow Ford were donated to Cahill Ministries Food Bank, in Lakeland Florida.

Tags: Bartow Ford, Cahill Ministries Food Bank, Glazer Family Foundation, kraft, Kraft Foods, Kristie Carter, Raymond James Financial, Sack Hunger Food Drive, Southern Ford Dealers