Lauren Spitz, Linda Rosenthal and Liliana Hang
Daily images of miles-long lines of hungry people in cars waiting for food distribution made headlines throughout the pandemic. These had a significant impression on Lauren Spitz, co-chair of Polo Feeds. Having volunteered for a food packing project in Great Barrington, Mass., in the fall of 2021, she recognized that the Polo Club and the surrounding communities would benefit from a similar initiative.
More than a quarter of a million people suffer from food insecurity in Palm Beach County, and many are children. Knowing this, Spitz pitched the project to the Community Relations Committee, the management team and the Board of Governors of the Polo Club, who were enthusiastically behind the plan, and Polo Feeds was born.
In its first year (2022), the Polo Feeds initiative raised nearly $40,000 in four days. They brought together over 275 volunteers and packed over 140,000 meals in four hours. This year, they increased their impact. Polo Club members donated more than $55,000, and with about 400 members, employees and management volunteers working side by side, they packed over 180,000 meals in five hours.
Polo members had a chance to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors through their monetary donations that purchased the 20,000 pounds of food supplies. Members and the Polo team joined forces to pack tasty and nutritious meals. All meals were delivered on the same day to local food banks (Jacobson Family Food Pantry, Boca Helping Hands and Feeding South Florida) for distribution to the local community.
Linda Rosenthal and Lauren Spitz co-chaired the event. Bob Leff and Elaine Abrams chair the Community Relations Committee of the Polo Club. The General Manager and COO of the Polo Club is Liliana Hang.
For more information, visit poloclub.net.