Volunteer Florida CEO Corey Simon is a true leader with a servant’s heart, and we were honored when he came to visit Seniors in Service Operation: Veteran Connect members where they serve at Our Lady of Guadalupe Food Pantry. He toured the pantry and saw how the funding provided by Volunteer Florida is engaging volunteers to feed 200 food-insecure families every week.
Volunteer Florida’s mission is to strengthen Florida’s communities through national service, fostering volunteerism, and leveraging resources. They fund Operation: Veteran Connect, so our volunteers can support local Veterans, military members, and their families.
Operation: Veteran Connect members serve every week at Our Lady of Guadalupe Food Pantry, which is operated solely through the support of volunteers. They also pick up boxes of food from the pantry every Saturday and deliver them to Veterans who have recently overcome homelessness. As the pantry director, Tom Bullaro said, “Without the volunteers we would not survive.”
During Mr. Simons’ visit, each member had the opportunity to share how their volunteer experience has been meaningful to them. Service to others helped them overcome depression, build supportive relationships, and most of all, give back to those who have served our country. For them, volunteering is not just something to do; it is a mission.
Mr. Simons is a former NFL player, and we were thrilled to hear him say that he loves his job as CEO of Volunteer Florida more than being a professional football player. In his new role, “he gets to make other people’s dreams come true.” The citizens of Florida are in good hands with the leadership of Volunteer Florida and their army of dedicated volunteers.