Caden Harris, 14, could have relaxed at home in Atlanta and likely had his pick of speaking engagements following a trip to the White House. A local group of community partners brought him to Pinellas Park to speak to other young people.

Caden is the founder and CEO of Caden Teaches, which now generates over six figures annually. He graduated high school at 13, and has also authored four books.

St. Petersburg-based BayFirst Financial, the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County and several local organizations, like the James B. Sanderlin Family Center, ensured hundreds of area children could learn from the business prodigy. Chris Hackney, president of small business lending for BayFirst, emceed the June 27 event at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center.

“Exposure goes a long way with financial literacy,” Hackney said. “The hope is that kids understand there is a way they can take control of their finances, and they don’t have to wait until a certain age to start.”

Hackney credited Joanna Braddock, club event coordinator at Bayfirst, for the idea. She found Caden’s recent appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America inspiring and realized his message aligned with the bank’s Cash Kids Club’s mission.

The program provides a savings account with a special interest rate for minors. They also receive budgeting education, financial literacy tools and swag.

The June 27 event was only open to members and those who received an invitation.

Multiple area neighborhood centers contributed financially. Hackney called the event a true collaboration among community partners.

“It was really a matter of bringing someone in who looks like the students in our Kids Club,” he explained. “That would inspire them to understand … you don’t have to be 20 or 30 or wait until you’re a working professional to take your finances seriously. You can be a kid, just like Caden.”

Caden started his financial literacy business at 7. He now travels the nation in a bus retrofitted to include a mock bank, grocery store and learning stations to teach kids about money and budgeting.

Entrepreneurialism is in Caden’s DNA. His family established Atlanta’s first African American Hotel, and his sister launched a nutrition company. The boy’s father began taking him to business meetings at 5.

Most kids do not share that lineage and upbringing. Teaching your child to budget and invest is exponentially more difficult for a single parent struggling to put food on the table.

Hackney hopes the Kids Club and event empower youth to take control of their financial future and avoid learning the hard way. “What we’ve found is, the message might resonate a little bit better if it is someone in their peer group,” he said.

“And I think they were inspired by his presentation.”

Caden stressed the importance of budgeting and saving. He also encouraged his peers to consider the benefits of investing money rather than spending it on a new gaming console. Hackney said the children enjoyed how Caden gamified his presentation with takes on Jeopardy and Family Feud.

Hackney said he could see “lights go on” in the minds of the mostly elementary and middle school-aged attendees, who also understood the magnitude of speaking at the White House. He told the crowd that “nothing separates you – other than this stage – from being a Caden Harris.”

In a subsequent social media post, Caden said he was “elated” for the opportunity. “It was inspiring to see so many young minds eager to learn about managing money and building a secure financial future,” he wrote. “A huge thank you to BayFirst Financial and Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County for making this event possible.”

Hackney noted that for many kids, the event was likely their first time learning those financial lessons. He hopes it stokes curiosity and that attendees will now utilize various local and online resources to foster fiscal responsibility.

After the event, Hackney spoke to 50 students affiliated with the Pinellas County Urban League about the importance of saving and investing. However, he plans to continue hosting younger financial literacy experts with better odds of resonating with local youth.

“BayFirst is here to support financial literacy in the community, and this is a continuation of that goal,” Hackney added. “Whether you’re a young member of our Cash Kids Club or a senior in our Trendsetters Club. As a community bank, that’s our responsibility.”

Robbi Stivers has joined the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB) as CFO. He is responsible for development and use of sound fiscal and contracting policies and practices to support JWB’s mission and activities while furthering its strategic plan.

Stivers brings more than 20 years’ experience in government finance, most in higher education, plus banking and insurance. He holds a BS in Business Administration from Tennessee Wesleyan University, an MA in Organizational Management from Tusculum University, and is a Certified Government Financial Manager via the Association of Government Accountants.

Learn more at https://www.jwbpinellas.org/juvenile-welfare-board-welcomes-robbi-stivers-as-new-chief-financial-officer/.

See this article as originally published at https://www.tampabay.com/sponsored/2024/07/01/robbi-stivers-joins-pinellas-county-juvenile-welfare-board/

What’s Good In Tampa Bay
Ann Kelly discusses the food gap with Juvenile Welfare Board CEO Beth Houghton, and their proactive approach to make sure families in need have fresh food this summer with free food distribution events. For additional information on their collaboration with the St. Pete Free Clinic, visit their site at www.jwbpinellas.org.

Listen to the interview:

This summer there will be four more opportunities for families in Pinellas County to receive free fresh food from a drive-through mobile food pantry. The next food pantry is scheduled for Saturday, June 29th in Palm Harbor and the first food drive served over 400 families this past Saturday.

An email news release from the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) and St. Petersburg Free Clinic (SPFC) provided details about this and the other five free food events that they anticipate will help feed about 2,000 families.

LISTEN:

JWB’s Chief Executive Officer Beth Houghton says the groups will distribute fresh food. She says these events are important to a lot of families.  “Things like housing are getting more expensive, other things are getting more expensive, and while wages are moving up, they are not keeping up. Particularly for families with middle incomes or lower.”In addition, Houghton says a lot of kids rely on their school to provide meals for them. “The estimate is in Pinellas County, 1 in 8 kids are food insecure. It doesn’t mean they are starving, but it means on any given day they might miss a meal.”

“JWB is committed to ensuring no child goes hungry. We invest $4.2M in bulk food with the St. Pete Free Clinic, which then distributes to food banks and pantries across Pinellas County,” Houghton said. 

According to the press release, each “family will receive a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins/meats, dairy, eggs, cereals, canned goods, and more – approximately 52+ pounds of food per family. A total of 21,000 pounds of food will be given away at each event, which equates to 126,000 pounds of food distributed across the six events when summer ends.” 

Here is a list of all six summer food events: www.jwbpinellas.org/calendar/free-summer-food-for-families/

Read the article as originally published at https://www.wmnf.org/palm-harbor-saturday-pinellas-families-get-free-fresh-fruits-vegetables-meats/

MANATEE COUNTY

Britney Vela is doing what she knows best, serving food to people in need. She has been working at Our Daily Bread in Bradenton for 10 years. As the food pantry manager, she ensures all the food is organized and the volunteers are on task.

“If we weren’t here, and you were hungry, how would you get a meal? You’d end up breaking a law, having to go somewhere or dumpster diving. Being able to prevent that is a blessing,” she said.

She said giving free food and warm meals is a blessing that people desperately need right now.

“The price of food has gone up. Rent, gas. And they live off a fixed income, and their checks aren’t going up. But the cost of living is. So thankfully for them, we’re here and we can, you know, help with that,” she said.

Britney says more people need help. Our Daily Bread produced 20% more meals this March compared to March 2023. Their food pantry has increased production by 40% compared to this time last year, helping more than 10,000 people save money and get the food they need.

“That makes them able, you know, to have that extra money to meet rent, meet their light bills, meet their water bills and their kids,” she said.

They serve roughly 300 families every day with food pantry items, basic care products, and meals.

“Protein is important. Kids are growing,” she said. “Everybody deserves to have a good dinner. Everybody deserves it. Nobody should go hungry,” she said.

Britney knows what it’s like for people who need help because, at one point, she did too. She had just moved to the county as a single mom of two young kids with only $200 in her pocket.

“Just being able to know that help and now what that help feels like is a blessing, a very big blessing,” she said.

She’s already made a difference for her family and is now offering the same help to those in need.

The soup kitchen is open every single day from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The pantry is open Mondays and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

PINELLAS COUNTY

There was a food drive through event in St. Petersburg on Saturday to help fill the gap this summer for families in need.

One in eight kids in Pinellas County are food insecure, which is why local organizations hosted a drive-thru food pantry for the summer.

The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County and St. Petersburg Free Clinic are hosting six drive-thru pantry events for the summer, and the first one was on Saturday. Officials tell us that this summer they will be feeding more than 2,000 families. They explained why this summer is crucial to fill the gap for families compared to past years. Officials say it is because of the increased cost of basic necessities like groceries.

Each family will receive more than 50 pounds of food at each event. That includes items like fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat, as well as canned goods and other non-perishable items. Altogether, at the end of the summer, they will have donated 120,000 pounds of food to families in the county.

Beth Houghton, CEO of the Juvenile Welfare Board, said, “And so this summer, you have this time where rents have been going up, utilities have been going up. Wages are not going up as much. Food costs are up for families really in a crisis this summer, more than we’ve seen for a few years.”

Their next drive-thru food event will be on June 29 at the Feast Food Pantry in St. Petersburg.

Watch the Bay news 9 interview with JWB CEO Beth Houghton at https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2024/06/23/more-families-in-need-of-food-in-the-tampa-bay-area-

The number of families struggling to put food on the table keeps growing.

The Juvenile Welfare Board says one in eight children in Pinellas County is food insecure.

“But summer is even worse, because school is not in session all summer, kids are at home more, and they don’t have school food to rely on all the way through the summer,” Juvenile Welfare Board CEO Houghton said.

Houghton says the two big gaps in resources in the summer are between the end of the school year and start of summer school, and at the end of the summer before the school year starts back up.

The JWB and St. Pete Free Clinic are partnering to hold six drive-thru mobile food pantries over the summer to serve a total of 2,000 families in Pinellas County.

“Every single car that’s going through this line has a story,” Houghton said.

Houghton says cars lined up at the drive-thru food pantry on Saturday in Clearwater to receive bags of fresh groceries.

“It takes a village to raise five kids,” one father of five said.

Houghton says food insecurity has continued to grow post-pandemic.

“Pushing 50% of our families in our county are either at or below the poverty level, or most of those, about 35%, give or take, are at or below just a living wage,” she said.

Families at the drive-thru food pantry say they feel the economic burden every day.

“I feel it every day, trying to make sure they’re fed, make sure they have a roof over their head and everything,” one father said.

At the drive-thru food pantry, families received fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meats and other groceries. Event organizers also provided families with resources to other food pantries throughout Pinellas County.

“It means a lot, because a lot of us, it’s hard because I work, but still can’t afford a lot of stuff, so with a little bit of extra help would help the community a lot,” one father said.

Organizers say rising rent costs, prices at the grocery store and everyday bills often force families to choose between paying one of those bills or putting food on the table.

On Saturday, they say around 400 families left with groceries and resources.

“It is always very, incredibly touching,” Houghton said. “There are tears, there are ‘Bless you’. There’s always incredible gratitude. Often, often we hear, ‘I don’t know what I would’ve done without this.’”

The Juvenile Welfare Board and St. Pete Free clinic are holding several other drive-thru food pantries this summer.

To find more information on these events, click here.

View the news segment and interview with JWB CEO Beth Houghton at https://www.fox13news.com/news/drive-thru-food-pantries-pinellas-county-helping-struggling-families-over-summer

Several families in need were able to put food on the table thanks to local organizations who partnered together.

The Juvenile Welfare Board and St. Pete Free Clinic gave out hundreds of meals.

Families received food like fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, canned goods, and more.

“Even though I do work, it’s still hard to have food for your household,” said Chery Harris, a mother of three.

The event started at 9 a.m., but cars were lined up hours before the event started.

“Most of the folks you would see here in this line, one or both of the adults in the household are working, which is why we scheduled this on a Saturday,” said Beth Houghton, with JWB.

Juvenile Welfare Board’s CEO, Beth Houghton, said they are committed to ensuring no child goes hungry, and invest $4.2 million in bulk food with the St. Pete Free Clinic.

During the summer, Houghton said they wanted to come up with a solution to help bridge the gap of children who may not have access to food.

“It was clear that we were going to have two really big gaps this summer where kids were not at school getting food, but would go a week or two weeks without access to school food,” she said.

According to Houghton, families face several challenges in today’s world, including COVID funds ending.

“Higher rent and higher food costs, and other costs where families’ incomes do not keep up, there are just a lot of people who are strapped,” Houghton said.

Mothers like Harris said nobody should be starving, and that as a working mother, it’s still hard to put food on the table.

“You can go to the grocery store and spend $100 and come out with three bags. What’s three bags that’s going to last a week, not very much,” she said. “At least with this, you’ll have something to add to whatever you have in your household.”

More than 50 pounds of food were given away to each family, with several volunteers dedicating their time to help make a difference.

“Keep in mind tonight, if you sit down with your kids and have food in the pantry or refrigerator that you can pull out, without worrying, how fortunate you are,” Houghton said.

This event was one of six that will be taking place this summer. For a list of all of the summer events, click here.

Watch the interview with JWB CEO Beth Houghton at https://www.wfla.com/news/hundreds-line-up-as-local-organizations-partner-to-feed-kids-during-the-summer/

This summer there will be six opportunities for families in Pinellas County to receive free fresh food from a drive-through mobile food pantry.

The first one is on Saturday, June 22.

It’s at the JWB Parking Lot, 14155 58th Street North in Clearwater (33760) from 9:00 a.m. until noon (while supplies last).

An email news release from the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) and St. Petersburg Free Clinic (SPFC) provided details about this and the other five free food events that they anticipate will help feed about 2,000 families.

“A perfect storm is brewing for struggling families,” stated Beth Houghton, JWB Chief Executive Officer. “Summer is always a challenge, given so many children count on school meals for their daily nutrition. This summer is particularly tough since a pandemic-initiated stipend of $300 per child will end for families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, otherwise known as Summer EBT. This comes at a time of high housing, utility, and food costs, and the gap-weeks before and after summer school are of particular concern.”

“JWB is committed to ensuring no child goes hungry. We invest $4.2M in bulk food with the St. Pete Free Clinic, which then distributes to food banks and pantries across Pinellas County,” Houghton said. “We will access these investments to distribute free fresh food to families at six drive-thru mobile sites in mid, north, and south Pinellas County, starting this Saturday.”

According to the press release, each “family will receive a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins/meats, dairy, eggs, cereals, canned goods, and more – approximately 52+ pounds of food per family. A total of 21,000 pounds of food will be given away at each event, which equates to 126,000 pounds of food distributed across the six events when summer ends.”

Here is a list of all six summer food events: www.jwbpinellas.org/calendar/free-summer-food-for-families/

Read the article as originally published at https://www.wmnf.org/six-opportunities-for-pinellas-families-to-get-free-fresh-fruits-vegetables-meats

With school out, and students no longer will have access to free meals at school, there’s help this weekend to help pack the fridge with free fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and more. Pinellas County families in need are welcome to join the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) and St. Petersburg Free Clinic (SPFC) for the first of six drive-through mobile food pantries this Saturday. This event will be in the JWB Parking Lot located at 14155 58th in Clearwater.

“A perfect storm is brewing for struggling families,” stated Beth Houghton, JWB Chief Executive Officer. “Summer is always a challenge, given so many children count on school meals for their daily nutrition. This summer is particularly tough since a pandemic-initiated stipend of $300 per child will end for families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, otherwise known as Summer EBT. This comes at a time of high housing, utility, and food costs, and the gap-weeks before and after summer school are of particular concern.”

Each family will receive around approximately 52 pounds of food. But this is on a first come, first served basis that begins and noon and is scheduled to end at noon. If you are not able to join in this first event, I can show you where the next five will be by clicking here.

Read the article as originally published at https://www.wduv.com/entertainment/mobile-food-pantry-event/NLECSKAQONDY3NC5MMYXRFIP5A/

The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB) is pleased to announce that Robbi Stivers has been named Chief Financial Officer of the organization. “We are extremely fortunate to have Robbi join our team,” stated Beth Houghton, JWB Chief Executive Officer. “He has extensive experience navigating the intricacies of government finance in top executive roles, mainly in higher education, and has a track record for demonstrating strong accountability and transparency, making him a good fit for our organization.”

See the original coverage as published at https://stpetecatalyst.com/shuffle/robbi-stivers/