Fresh RX Kids and Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Launch Program to Provide Farm Fresh Food to Families Impacted by COVID-19

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh RX Kids and Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County have launched Farm to Family. The program's mission is to connect local farms and their produce to support the neediest children in Palm Beach County. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children who typically rely on meals at school and from afterschool programs will not have normal access to these daily meals now that schools are closed. The Farm to Family program is different than most traditional hunger-relief programs because the quality and nutritional value of the fresh produce will keep families healthy and local farms working.

"Our local farmers have fields of produce that can provide desperately-needed nutrition to these children and their families through the Farm to Family program," said Margaret Duriez, founder of Fresh RX Kids. "In partnership with Boys & Girls Club of Palm Beach County, we are asking the community to get involved and help broaden our reach to more families in the county."

The Farm to Family initiative will distribute from four Boys & Girls Clubs' sites each Friday through April. Farm to Family is seeking donations to help expand the program. A Go Fund Me page is now live and can be accessed through Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County's website here.  Donations from the community will support the collection and delivery of fresh produce to help those who need it. Fresh RX Kids' network of local farmers will provide an assortment of freshly-harvested fruits and vegetables. A $30 donation will cover the costs of creating the box and the delivery to local families and children, helping to ensure they have access to healthy, fresh foods.

"This unprecedented time is an opportunity for our community to come together," said Jaene Miranda, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. "By creating this food distribution network, we also will be able to distribute other items of need, including dry goods, dairy and protein, keeping our Club children and families healthy at this critical time."

Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County will distribute food to 1,000 Club member families at multiple locations throughout the county, through staff members that Club families know and trust. The first distribution will be this Friday, March 20, from 2-5 p.m. at Max M. Fisher Boys & Girls Clubs located at 221 W 13th St., Riviera Beach, FL 33404. Qualified recipients are families that have current Club members at Max M. Fisher Boys & Girls Club and Florence De George Boys & Girls Club in West Palm Beach. Farm to Family plans to add three additional distribution locations on Friday, March 27, to serve all families of the 13 Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. 

A number of local partners have already come forward to support the Farm to Family program. Partners include Lox Farms, Florida Crystals, Palm Beach County Food Bank, Living Hungry, Aioli, Gratitude Gardens, Kai Kai Farms, Holman's Harvest, The Garden Network, Ray's Heritage, and more are signing on daily.

To help educate the community on this program Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County and Lox Farms created a brief video that can be viewed on YouTube.   

About Fresh RX Kids:
Fresh RX Kids is a local experiential education program for children on the importance of nutrition and healthy eating habits. The program takes place in partnership with local schools and afterschool programs, where garden beds are installed and maintained by Fresh RX Kids. This allows the students to participate in planting, weeding, harvesting, composting as part of their weekly curriculum. The program also teaches children how to prepare the produce they have grown and harvested with cooking classes led by our team chef. The Fresh RX Kids program is part of Fresh RX, a farm-to-hospital initiative that prescribes and fulfills prescriptions of fresh produce free of charge for oncology, cardiac and pediatric patients, who have been advised to change their diets as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Both programs were developed and supported by Lox Farms, a certified naturally grown farm in Loxahatchee, FL co-founded by Palm Beach resident Margaret Duriez.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County
Founded in 1971, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is a not-for-profit youth development organization dedicated to promoting the educational, vocational, health, leadership and character of boys and girls in a safe, nurturing environment. The Clubs provide more than a safe, fun and constructive alternative to being home alone – they offer a variety of award-winning developmental programs to help youth build skills, self-esteem and values during critical periods of growth. The 13 Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Palm Beach County serve more than 9,400 children ages 6-18. For more information, please visit www.bgcpbc.org or call 561-683-3287.

SOURCE Lox Farms