Both Kobie and my Family, have a long-standing relationship with the St. Pete Free Clinic (“SPFC”), a local St. Pete non-profit that provides support to those in need. Every October, the Kobie team does something special to show our support for the great work that they do. As you might remember from last year, we embark upon a 30x30 Wellness Challenge each October, where we encourage all of our teammates and friends to exercise for 30 minutes a day for 30 days in an effort to raise at least $30K for the SPFC, and of which, Kobie will match.

The Jared S. Hechtkopf Community Food Bank, named after my father, and built by donations from my mother, is where the food distribution begins its journey to our neighbors in need. To give you some context, more than 150,000 residents in Pinellas County are food insecure, including many thousands of children. The last two years in particular, the food bank has seen a massive increase in demand for their services, and families and individuals who never thought that they would need support, are reaching out to them for help.

To give you a sense of the growth in need, in 2018 the St Pete Free Clinic distributed about 5 million pounds of food throughout the community all year; in the fiscal year 2020-2021, which just ended in September, the SPFC distributed 20 million pounds of food to those in need.  

I’m reaching out to you to donate to support this great cause! Last year we raised close to $120,000 for SPFC, thanks to you and others who supported the cause.