Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Community Food Bank (CFB) Executive Director and CEO Barbara Sprague and Daystar Live Center Social Services Director Steve Scarallo with one of three cellular charging stations being piloted at local pantries and shelters thanks to a grant the CFB received from Duke Energy.
Community Food Bank (CFB) Executive Director and CEO Barbara Sprague and Daystar Live Center Social Services Director Steve Scarallo with one of three cellular charging stations being piloted at local pantries and shelters thanks to a grant the CFB received from Duke Energy.
Special to the ChronicleEveryone with a cell phone knows what it’s like to see their phone battery in the red and have no way to recharge it.
Thanks to a grant from Duke Energy, the Community Food Bank (CFB) is excited to provide mobile phone charging stations throughout the community.
In an innovative partnership, CFB and Duke Energy have teamed up to offer these safe, accessible charging stations to help ensure individuals in need can connect with family, friends, and much-needed resources.
According to Barbara Sprague, CFB Executive Director and CEO, the agency is placing charging stations at various pantry locations throughout Citrus and Hernando counties, including Daystar Life Center’s temporary location at 9020 W. Atlas Drive in Homosassa and the Citrus Cold Weather Shelter at 5113 S. Suncoast Blvd in Homosassa.
“Individuals in need can acquire free mobile phones and minutes through a variety of social service programs,” Sprague said. “The problem is they have no place to charge these devices, which are often used to help them keep in touch with family, friends, resources, and even their workplaces, as there are many homeless individuals who hold down jobs.”
Sprague said people who are homeless often must trespass on private property to find charging outlets.
“Sometimes a business or individual will welcome them and give them permission to charge their mobile phone, but that is a rare exception,” Sprague said. “The new charging stations we are placing at safe places throughout the community will make access to charging their devices more accessible, easier, and better guided.”
The charging stations will also give staff at local food pantries and homeless shelters the opportunity to assist individuals with navigating resources and even encouraging clients to reach out to family and friends.
“We often take for granted just how much we depend on our mobile phones,” Sprague said. “For individuals in need, these devices are a lifeline to resources, job opportunities, and the connection to family and friends they need to help them get back on their feet.”
To be part of helping the CFB reach more people in need, consider making a donation and/or volunteering. Learn more about the CFB and its mission and movement to ensure no one in our area goes hungry by visiting the website at www.feed352.org or calling 352-628-3663.
Nancy Kennedy can be reached at 352-564-2927 or by email at nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.
Reporter
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
