Over the past 12 years, Feeding Empty Little Tummies (FELT) has provided nearly 900,000 meals to homeless and food-insecure children throughout Manatee County. You may be shocked to learn that there are approximately 3,500 homeless children in Manatee County. This includes children who are living in motels, hotels, campgrounds, and other less-than-ideal situations due to the loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reasons. 

These children are able to get healthy food at school during the week, but may not have anything to eat when they go home for the the weekend. That’s where FELT comes in. The organization is dedicated to making sure these children do not go hungry.

Each week, FELT’s staff and volunteers fill and distribute backpacks with nutritious meals and snacks. The backpacks are then discreetly delivered to children in need at over 50 schools in our community. 

Project Heart, the Manatee School District’s Title X Homeless Education program, pre-qualifies each child enrolled in the FELT program so they know they are helping kids that need it the most. Currently, the program is serving 1,365 children – the highest in the organization’s history. 

The increased need in our community paired with the rising cost of food has put a strain on FELT’s operations. The organization has been working hard to continuously find new ways to fuel its operations and promotions – and they need your help! 

Help Feed Hungry Children in Our Community

With the holidays just around the corner, FELT  is currently raising funds to provide the children with a second bag of food to tide them over during the break from school. Whether they’ll have enough still remains to be seen – but you can help! 

Every $10 donation provides a bag of food for one child. You can make a donation right now by clicking the link below. Every little bit helps, so even if you can spare $5.00, please consider taking action. 

Cattle Baron’s Ball Fundraiser – December 3rd

Tickets are also still available for FELT’s annual fundraiser – The Cattle Barron’s Ball. It will be held on December 3rd from 6 pm to 10 pm at the Manatee County Fairgrounds (Veteran’s Hall) in Palmetto. Individual tickets are just $50 and include dinner and two drinks. The event will feature popular country music band One Night Rodeo, casino games, raffles, an auction, dinner, dancing, and more! CLICK HERE to buy your tickets now!

Food Packing & Delivery

Every Friday (except when there’s no school) volunteers meet at the Feeding Empty Little Tummies headquarters, located at 901 8th Ave W, Palmetto, FL 34221 to fill and deliver backpacks. Anyone is welcome to attend! Plan to arrive by 9:45 am and the work is typically done by around 11 am.

Due to the holidays, the December packing days are Friday 2nd, Friday 9th, Friday 16th, Tuesday 20th and Thursday 22nd. Then, there is a break until January 13th when Friday packing resumes again. There’s no need to RSVP, just sign in when you arrive.

Amazon Smile

Did you know you can support your favorite causes while you shop? FELT is a part of AmazonSmile. If you have an Amazon account, visit https://smile.amazon.com and select “Feeding Empty Little Tummies, Inc.” as your charitable organization of choice. Eligible purchases through Amazon result in a donation from the AmazonSmile Foundation directly to FELT. Best of all, it’s the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com

We hope you’ll find it in your heart to support this very worthy organization! To learn more about FELT, please visit their website and follow them on Facebook.