The Juvenile Welfare Board recently recognized The Honorable Bob Dillinger for 20 years of dedicated service to Pinellas County children. The recognition occurred during the monthly JWB Board Meeting on December 10, 2020.

Mr. Dillinger has made it his life’s work to fight childhood hunger, to give hope to the vulnerable and underserved, and to keep children and families out of deeper-end services, such as foster care, jails, and mental health institutes.

Together with his wife Kay, they started the Beth Dillinger Foundation and its Nourish to Flourish program, which has provided more than 200,000 meals to feed hungry children. Their Foundation has also awarded dozens of Take Stock in Children scholarships, and their signature clothes closets – in place at the Public Defender’s Office, PACE Center for Girls, and Ready for Life – have restored dignity and hope to many.

Although Mr. Dillinger will be leaving our Board, his legacy will live on in the smiles and laughter of our county’s children: many will rest better tonight, their tummies full and their futures full of hope!

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month 2020 (September 15 – October 15, 2020) the InterCultural Advocacy Institute, Empath Health, Juvenile Welfare Board, Moffitt Cancer Center, and the Family Healthcare Foundation partnered to host a series of Lunch and Learn events to celebrate the contributions of the Hispanic/Latinx community to the United States. Hundreds traveled with us virtually, learned from personal journeys, discussed current topics, discovered traditional recipes, and more!

In total, seven Lunch and Learn webinars were held, attracting more than 1, 750 Facebook Live views. Topics included: Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff Event; A Conversation with Jacob Diaz, Ed.D.; The Taste of Hispanic/Latin Countries; The Latinx Community on Voting, Wealth and Health; Frida & Diego: A Virtual Tour (English); Celebracion con Frida y Diego (Espanol); and Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. Valuable information was collected related to future topics for webinar and other educational events.

A special thanks to Abrazo a la Distancia, a workgroup formed during the COVID-19 pandemic to offer education, resources, and support to the Hispanic and Latinx communities.

More than 100 Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) teachers from across Pinellas County were celebrated during a drive-through appreciation event in their honor. As preschool teachers drove their cars parade-style through the parking lot of High Point Elementary, partners lined up in a show of support, waving signs and cheering them on.

The celebration included book and school supply giveaways, music, and a surprise visit by Raymond, the Tampa Bay Rays mascot. Dozens of partners joined in the festivities to let VPK teachers know that their work is essential and very much appreciated! 

The event was spearheaded by the Preschool Kindergarten Partnership and supported by numerous partners, including the Juvenile Welfare Board, Pinellas County Schools, Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas, Florida Department of Education/Office of Early Learning, R’Club Child Care, Lutheran Services Florida Head Start, Pinellas County Licensing Board, St. Petersburg College, USF St. Petersburg Family Study Center, Lakeshore Learning, Florida Association of EYC/Pinellas Chapter, Read Strong Pinellas, and Tampa Bay Rays.

To view the event photo album, visit: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=JWBPinellas&set=a.10158969580148586

In Pinellas County, an estimated 1 in 5 children do not get enough nourishing food on a regular basis and worry where their next meal will come from. Over half are eligible for Pinellas County Schools’ free or reduced price lunch program, and sometimes school meals are their only healthy food that day. 

The Juvenile Welfare Board and our Childhood Hunger Initiative partners are working collectively to fill the gaps, so all children have access to nourishing food when they are not in school, including weekends, holidays, and summer break. 

One collaborative effort to increase meals to kids during summer has been to grow and promote the federally-funded Summer BreakSpot program. Since 2014, over 3.5 million free summer meals have been distributed to Pinellas County children, an average of about 600,000 meals each year. This includes a total of 623,955 meals provided across 185 sites this past summer. The growth is the result of targeted marketing efforts and new partnerships with churches, libraries, and apartment complexes that have increased BreakSpot sites by 43 percent since 2014.