With Michael Ayers, Keith Gee, Nancy Peltonen, Melbourne Regional Chamber,
Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce
and City of Cocoa Government
The Children’s Hunger Project recently celebrated its 8th-anniversary helping feed hungry children in Brevard, with an Open House & Family Fun Day, complete with ribbon cutting, a barbeque, live music, police officers with police dogs, a fire truck, and more.
It was an official “thank you” to Bruce Nelson of Cocoa and Coastal Hyundai for allowing TCHP to use their building for the past three years. This donation is a $5,000/month gift, which is what it would cost us to rent a space this size. It allows us to feed another 400 children each school year! It serves as a location for our many packing events, adequate food storage, and office space. Bruce carries on his father’s tradition of giving back to the community, and the building was named in 2015 as The Bruce Nelson Child Hunger Center in honor of Bruce Nelson, Sr.
Asked why he decided to help The Children’s Hunger Project, Bruce Nelson, Jr. responded, “I had no idea that almost half of the children in the Brevard County school system are on the free or reduced-price lunch program. I had no idea that this food program is the key indicator of hunger and poverty in an area. That hit me so hard because in my mind children’s hunger happens in other countries, not in my own back yard. When I found out these things I was amazed and willing to help.”
Keith Gee, TCHP Executive Director, met local realtor Jason Bucci, who was very interested in supporting TCHP. He told Keith he wanted to help us feed more kids. Jason and his friends from Church at Viera who are passionate about grilling, smoking and all things BBQ, bought, cooked and donated the sumptuous array of food for the Open House.
A local musician, Angelina, played guitar and sang, as the local police demonstrated and educated the crowd about the training that goes into being a police dog with the attendees. The Cocoa fire truck delighted the children, who were able to take a peek inside.
Local photographer Walter Kiely was on hand to photograph and video the event. This Open House was made even more meaningful, since TCHP serves schoolchildren from one end of the county to the other, by having representatives of the local chambers of commerce. They have all supported TCHP with food drives, packing events, and raffles. Many thanks to Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce, The Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce, Cocoa Beach Chamber of Commerce, and Melbourne Regional Chamber of Commerce for the ribbon cutting and the support of ending child hunger in Brevard.