From the first time they spent an October morning bagging food items for seven senior citizen homes in Jacksonville, Fla., the SIMOS Florida team was hooked.
“It is rare that we get to work together as we work remote and travel to different areas of the country,” said Recruiting Manager Kimberly Feliciano, “so it was nice to spend time with my teammates and give back to our community. It was such a rewarding experience that we decided to make it a monthly event.”
Working with Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, the team compiled bags with three complete meals and two snacks. They packed bags with apple sauce, protein bars, oatmeal packets, soups, ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, fruit cups, chocolate covered popcorn, seaweed snacks, pudding, seasonal chocolate bars, cookies and other snacks. Lutheran Services then delivered the bags to the senior citizens.
Their next step was to help out for Thanksgiving.
“We were able volunteer for the Thanksgiving holiday,” Feliciano said. “Lutheran Services assisted over 180 families with meals for the week. The SIMOS team wheeled shopping carts to families’ vehicles and unloaded groceries. Those on foot, bus, or bike we were able to bundle up a nice package for them to take with them, too.”
The SIMOS team also donated a box of nonperishable food items to the food pantry.
As we move into 2022, the Jacksonville team will continue to bring SIMOS Cares to the Lutheran Services food pantry.
“It’s such a wonderful feeling knowing that we’re bringing seniors not just food, but the sense that people care for them and are there for them,” Feliciano said. “That’s why we’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with them this year.”
