VERO BEACH — The Source is a Christian ministry for homeless individuals and families at-risk in Indian River County. The organization serves hundreds of meals daily and operates an emergency food pantry for families who struggle to put food on the table each day.
A key challenge has been to pick up large quantities of food from major donors and then deliver them to The Source’s kitchen or directly to those in need. A twenty year old open pickup truck was no longer adequate or reliable for this purpose.
Now, a generous $15,500 grant award from the Grand Harbor Community Outreach Program and a $3,000 Dyer Difference Award from Dyer Chevrolet and Dyer Mazda Subaru will help ensure that our neighbors in need will not go without food.
This extraordinary gift funded a brand new Mazda Subaru minivan that will guarantee safety for perishable food pick-up and delivery and offer maximum transport capacity.
Over its 11 year existence, Grand Harbor Community Outreach has grown to become a significant force among Indian River County charities, distributing over $2 million in grants, more than $280,000 this year alone to many local non-profit agencies.
The Source has been one of Community Outreach’s partners almost from the outset.
“Our values are very much in harmony with The Source, and they are very effective in what they do. We especially like their holistic approach to hunger and poverty, providing not only hot nutritious meals, but also showers, laundry services, clothing, mail services, agency referrals, and other critical support.
We are delighted to be able to provide this major gift of a vehicle to transport food,” said Susanne and Doug Sweeny, Co-Chairs of Philanthropy for Outreach.
“We are grateful for the services The Source provides to its clients. Sharing a property line with our Mazda Subaru dealership, we witness daily the number of people who are reached by this wonderful organization.
We are glad we could assist them with their need for a more reliable and functional vehicle,” explained Tatiana Dyer, owner and Dealer Principal of Dyer Chevrolet and Mazda Subaru.
“We were thrilled to know that Grand Harbor Community Outreach and Dyer Chevrolet and Mazda Subaru approved our application for support, and we are extremely thankful.
Last year, the Source experienced a 34% increase in client services. Nearly 40,000 hot meals were served on premises, and over 100,000 pounds of food were donated. To continue our hunger relief program, we really needed a reliable transportation source. Now we have one,” added Dennis Bartholomew, The Executive Director of The Source.
The Source is located at 1015 Commerce Ave. in Vero Beach.
For more information, please call (772) 564-0202 or visit the website www. IAmTheSource.org.