Honda Classic Cares Helps Glades Nonprofits Keep Families Feeding

BELL GLADE, Florida. As many as 100 people lined up as the sun rose on a weekday morning outside the non-profit Glades Initiative building in Belle Glade.

The charity distributes groceries in person two days a week. Most people who get food from their pantry of choice speak Spanish or Creole.

Through a translator, a mother-of-two named Marie Simon told WPTV that the support was greatly appreciated.

“I need food to take home. I need food to take my kids with me,” Simon said.

“We have a lot of people who come here regularly,” said Carys Angle, president and CEO of The Glades Initiative, which has helped more than 1,700 families over the past year.

The non-profit organization also offers home delivery and assistance with food stamps and housing assistance, among other services.

“It’s consistent. So if someone knows they have to rely on it, they can come in every week and know they can get 25 pounds of food they can take home to feed their families,” Angle said.

The team that forms the backbone of The Glades Initiative is made up of 14 full-time and part-time employees.

“They see a smiling face. It really gives them a sense of hope that someone really understands the needs of families,” said Jerome West, food coordinator for The Glades Initiative.

Honda Classic Cares, the Honda Classic Golf Tournament charity, has donated nearly $1.4 million since 2015 to The Glades initiative.

“Honda Classic has been incredibly generous to us over the years,” Angle said. “It’s amazing to see what we can do with what we have.”

Learn more about The Glades initiative from Click here.