Page 4 - Boca ViewPointe - November '20

Page 4, Viewpointe November 2020
From The Desk Of Vice Mayor Weinroth

What is food insecurity being the maximization of senior participation in SNAP afford the cost of housing and nutrition. Many of these at
and how can this possibly be (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) and the risk individuals are working poor, heretofore struggling to
something impacting fully expansion of Congregate Meals and Home delivered Meals. stay above water but now finding themselves pushed into
twenty percent of the residents Food security for a household means access by all members a financial abyss.
in Palm Beach County? at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. The County and its many nonprofit partners have
Not surprisingly, the Food security includes at a minimum: redoubled their effort in an effort to mitigate the misery
pandemic exasperated a • Ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe being endured by over 300,000 of our county residents.
problem our county was foods; and Along with the Palm Beach County Food Bank, Farmshare
already working to address. • The ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially and Feeding South Florida, the county continues to deploy
However, given the acceptable ways (in other words, without resorting to resources.
significant impact wrought by emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other The county received $263 million in CARES Act
the virtual shutdown of our coping strategies). Recovery funds from the federal government. Of that,
economy, followed by a slow reboot, the needs have become We live in a community that is remarkably affluent. over $32 million has been budgeted for emergency food
more critical and the plan of action more complicated. Many of our residents enjoy very comfortable lives and the distribution (food distribution exceeding normal base
Back in 2015, Palm Beach County, in partnership thought of being food insecure is the furthest thing from expenses and community food programs identified in the
with the United Way of Palm Beach County launched their minds. county’s emergency feeding program).
a comprehensive Hunger Relief Plan. It began by However, the pandemic has resulted in the most This is a daunting task with a long-term comprehensive
establishing a strategy of recognizing the need to launch vulnerable within our community, living close to the plan to address. It is an issue we cannot afford to ignore
a comprehensive campaign to raise awareness about the edge, with savings depleted, bills accumulating, unable to and a war we cannot lose. 
extent of hunger in our community. Absent community
awareness of the magnitude of the issue, it was clear the
necessary resources to launch a war on poverty would Board Of Directors
remain out of reach.
Coordination and collaboration are keys for the success
of the Hunger Relief Initiative. Prior to the pandemic April 2019 – April 2020 Officers/Executive Committee
progress was being made. The number of food insecure
individuals in the county had fallen from 200,000 residents Chairman and President Barry J. Haberman District 5 Dan Gabrielle (La Corniche)
(including 64,000 children) in 2015 to 184,000 residents Vice Chair Steve Retzer Esplanada, Caravelle, Palomar, La Corniche,
and El Dorado
(53,000 children) in 2019. Vice President Gail Ehrlich District 6 Marvin Lazarowitz (Villa Stel)
While the results (an 8 percent reduction in food insecure 2nd Vice President Jim Collins Villa Flora, Montego Bay, Villa Stel, and Palladium
King
Steve
Secretary
residents and a 17 percent reduction in food insecure Treasurer Harvey Kaplan District 7 Joyce Britt (Villa Sonrisa)
children) were modest, it is worth noting the county The Plum/Cortina, Villa Sonrisa and Pointe 100
population had increased 6 percent in that period meaning District Directors District 8 Len Kagan (Costa del Sol)
rather than the number of food insecure residents increasing District 1 Costa del Sol and Costa Brava
to 212,000, its reduction to 184,000 actually meant a 14 Encantada, Valencia and The Palms District 9 Robin Gliboff (Edgewater)
percent reduction in residents and a 22 percent reduction District 2 Steve King (Imperial Royale) Edgewater Pointe Estates and Stratford Court
in food insecurity for children had been realized. Promenade, Imperial Royale, Imperial, Regency
Nobody was taking a victory lap over these numbers and Panaché At Large Directors At Large Directors
but it was clear, the initiative was bearing fruit. District 3 Steve Retzer (La Mirada) Through 2020 Through 2021
One of the goals of the Hunger Relief Plan has been La Mirada and Meridiana Carsten Bethge (Valencia) Howard Davis (La Corniche)
Jim Collins (Caravelle)
Gail Ehrlich (Villa Flora)
to provide ALL CHILDREN in Palm Beach County with District 4 Bob Greenstein (La Paz) Harvey Kaplan (Meridiana) Barry J. Haberman (Encantada)
El Viento, La Paz, and Southwinds

access to the nutritious food they need to build healthy
bodies and strong minds. The Childhood Hunger working
group focused on three areas:
• Afterschool Meals;
• Summer Break spot; and
• Weekend Backpacks.
Another goal of the Hunger Relief Plan has been to
ensure low-income older county residents have balanced
nutritional diets. The Senior Hunger working group
developed a five-year plan to end senior hunger, titled
“Senior Hunger Solutions,” with its key elements of success

Holiday Magic At Mizner Park from page 1

The “iTree” consists of more than 32,000 life-like
PVC branches, red & gold bows, ornament clusters
and 25,000 clear & multi-colored LED lights to
bring nightly musical light shows to Mizner Park.
Developed by Music N’ Motion, the company’s
proprietary technology allows each light string to be
choreographed by the second to holiday music. Pre-
display production includes up to one hour of time in
synchronizing 30 seconds of music.
Complimenting the tree will be giant gifts, working
toy train set, ornaments, 3’ teddy bear, and two 6 foot
life-like toy soldiers.
Throughout Mizner Park, 50,000 LED lights will
adorn 75 palm trees; poles will be laced with garland;
lights and four wreaths (each 60” in diameter) will be
placed throughout the center; garland will be swooped
throughout the gazebos and the valet parking station –
all of which will be decorated with lights and holiday
trimmings.
Brookfield Properties services Brookfield’s best-
in-class retail real estate investments. The retail sector
ranks among the largest mall owners in the United
States. Their extensive portfolio of mall properties
spans the nation, encompassing 170 locations across
42 states and representing approximately 146 million
square feet of retail space. All Brookfield properties
are strategically located in regional and coastal areas
that constitute the “heart” of America, and are home
to numerous industry-leading retailers, including L
Brands, Inc., Foot Locker, Inc., The Gap, Inc., LVMH
and Forever 21 Retail, Inc. Brookfield Properties Retail
Group is headquartered in Chicago and owned by affiliates
of Brookfield Asset Management.
For more information, visit www.miznerpark.com or call
(561) 362-0606. 