BARTOW, Fla. — Inside a small building near downtown Bartow, people strive to make a big difference.
“Our mission here, at least in Bartow, is to make sure nobody goes to bed hungry at night,” explains Rusty Music, the Executive Director of the Bartow Community Service Center.
And that’s why the center serves up food in a variety of ways. There’s a food pantry for emergency visits and on weekdays, workers prepare nearly 100 sack lunches for neighbors in need. The regulars stopping in are mostly people without homes and seniors.
Retiree Maxine Harris counts on the lunches to stretch her food budget.
“It helps a whole lot—in between my rent and my bills,” she says while showing off the chicken and biscuits in her bag. “So, this is a blessing.”
And twice a month, cars line up around the block for a drive-through food distribution. Meat, milk and fresh produce are loaded into trunk after trunk. Feeding Tampa Bay and the United Way partner on this effort. During each session, about 10,000 pounds of food is given out to 350 families.
Theresa Kerns drives from Lake Wales for the food help.
“We live on disability and by the time we add up our bills, we barely have enough to do anything else with,” she explains.
The Bartow Community Service Center has been lending a helping hand for nearly 60 years. However, the center now needs some help itself. For two years, it’s been dealing with the literal fallout from a roofing disaster. During a repair job, a torrential downpour flooded the place, ruining equipment and office space.
The roof has since been repaired, but staff are now stuffed into just a few small offices and a re-model is desperately needed.
“This this is not ideal—absolutely not,” says Music, sitting in an office crammed with all sorts of items, including Halloween decorations. “We would love the financial support to get things back the way they should be.”
And Music himself is no stranger to adversity. While he has some vision, Music has been legally blind since birth. And it’s the people who helped him as a Bartow kid that set Music on the path to helping his hometown.
Music says, “To be able to serve and love on our community, is ultimately what keeps me here.”
For ways you can help support the Bartow Community Service Center click here.