Food

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The Community Food Bank of Citrus County is a 501 (c)(3) charity founded in 2013.  This organization collects food from supermarkets, food brokers, farms/gardens and food drives and then distributes the food to 43 different Citrus County food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters on a very timely basis.  In 2018, they distributed 3.2 million pounds of food which roughly equates to 2.6 million meals.  Community Food Bank uses three large refrigerated trucks to accomplish their critical mission.  In 2019, Black Diamond Foundation gave $20,000 toward the lease of a refrigerated truck.  Check out their web site.

Citrus County Harvest is a 501 (c)(3) charity operating three food programs:  Citrus County Blessings provides 1,650 local students with six meals to take home every Friday of the school year.  Feed The Kids provides fresh produce to 600 children during the summer months when school meals aren’t available.  The Food Recovery program rescues unused food from area restaurants and then delivers the food to local food pantries and soup kitchens.  Black Diamond Foundation provided $5,000 in funding in 2019.   Citrus County Harvest web site.

Daystar Life Center of Citrus County is a 501 (c)(3) charity funded by area Roman Catholic parishes and other area organizations including Black Diamond Foundation ($5,000 provided in 2018), the United Way and Duke Energy.  Daystar Life Center operates a thrift store, a food pantry and offers help with rent, utilities, and medical equipment.  The food pantry is one of the largest in Citrus County.  It distributes roughly 150,000 pounds of food to 1,800 households each year. The pantry also provides ready to eat food for the homeless.  Click here for their web site.

The SOS Food Pantry is an all-volunteer organization jointly operated and funded by 10 area churches.  SOS is primarily focused on food distribution but also provides clothing, flu shots and Medicare/Medicaid counseling.  Food is collected and stocked on Wednesdays and given out on Thursdays.  This pantry is utilized by 120 to 170 Citrus County families each week.  Black Diamond Foundation provided a $15,000 grant in 2019 for the purchase of food.