Caring Couple Funds Matching Gift to Help Feed Area Students
The Giving Coast
SRQ DAILY WEDNESDAY PHILANTHROPY EDITION
WEDNESDAY FEB 18, 2026 |
For thousands of area students, BackPacks of healthy foods and snacks are a much-needed nutritional lifeline to carry them through weekends and holidays from school. In Sarasota County, approximately 43 percent of students qualify for free and reduced-cost meals; in DeSoto County, that number is 100 percent. Through the BackPack program, thousands of school children throughout Sarasota and DeSoto counties stay fed outside of the school week. A recent challenge match - originally set at $100,000 but then increased to $155,000 - by caring donors Pat and Mary Mulva resulted in a fundraising total of $310,000 designated toward the BackPack program. This campaign funded 62,000 BackPacks filled with nutritious food for area students.
« View The Wednesday Feb 18, 2026 SRQ Daily Edition
« Back To SRQ Daily Archive
