Tis the Season of Giving
No matter how you give back, the importance of generosity shouldn’t be overlooked. Whether you’re volunteering at a soup kitchen, purchasing gifts for a family in need or giving the gift of friendship and fellowship through gatherings in your own home, doing for others is one of the most selfless acts of kindness during the holidays.
While we believe charitable donations are impactful especially this time of year, we’re proud to make meaningful contributions to local charities all year long. In the spirit of giving and doing our part to grow healthier future generations, we’re looking back on the organizations we’ve supported this year. We’re also setting our sights on our first charity we’ll be working with in early 2023.
This year we began featuring organizations making a difference on our 52oz organic orange juice labels. Charities were chosen for their work in our local community of Clermont, FL or in the greater Orlando area through recommendations from Uncle Matt’s Organic staff members. Our roots are local, but with our nationwide organic juice distribution, we’ve been able to bring much wider recognition to these small foundations doing amazing work. Each quarter we donated a portion of all sales of our organic orange juice to these deserving charities:
Spring 2022: Chris Nikic’s 1% Better Foundation
Chris Nikic set a new world record by being the first person with Down Syndrome to complete a 140.6-mile Ironman. His foundation focuses on providing fitness resources to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Chris’ mission is to inspire others like him to pursue their goals.
Summer 2022: Love Made Visible
Children across the world are affected by the Global Orphan Crisis. These children may have lost a parent or have found themselves in uncertain, risky living situations without access to healthcare, education and family support. The Love Made Visible organization seeks to better the lives of these at-risk children by working with local agencies and churches to support caregivers and adoption programs for the most vulnerable.
Fall 2022: A Gift For Music
A Gift For Music celebrates just that – students exploring and achieving their musical gifts. By providing string music education at no cost to young students in the Orlando area, A Gift For Music encourages students to realize and fulfill their musical potential regardless of their financial circumstances.
Winter 2022: Find, Feed & Restore
Homelessness is a growing problem, and Florida is ranked 5th in the nation for the number of children without proper shelter. Find, Feed & Restore is an organization working to bring hope to the homeless in Central Florida. Providing adequate shelter for families with children is at the heart of their mission. They meet families where their needs are greatest by offering a variety of housing solutions. (Donation to find Find, Feed & Restore will be made to the organization in early 2023)
Winter – Spring 2023 (Upcoming): Kids Central, Inc.
Kids Central Inc is working to create a brighter future for children and their families by building better lives through protecting children, supporting families and engaging communities. At Kids Central, their mission of service, excellence, and caring is reflected in everything they do. They are dedicated to achieving measurable, positive outcomes for children and families in Central Florida communities.
In addition to our efforts to bring awareness and monetary donations to our quarterly spotlight charities, the Uncle Matt’s team also shared their time and talents to support other local organizations.
Organic Garden at Gray Middle School
To celebrate Earth Month in April, the Uncle Matt’s team visited a local middle school in Groveland, Florida where we helped students build an edible garden using all things organic. While we visited, Uncle Matt shared with the students the importance of organic farming for both growing the most nutritious produce and for benefiting a healthier planet.
Matthew’s Hope is an organization located in Winter Garden, FL that supports the basic needs of the homeless in that area. The Uncle Matt’s Organic team collected items to donate to this nonprofit. The team together donated nearly $1,000 worth of food and clothing to Matthew’s Hope.
Donations to Hurricane Ian victims
In coordination with Baer Furniture, the Uncle Matt’s Organic team donated $500 worth of needed items to victims of Hurricane Ian. Additionally, Uncle Matt’s Organic made a $2,000 cash donation to the Florida Disaster Fund to further help those impacted by Hurricane Ian’s devastation.
Children’s Home Society of Florida
This organization works with children and families to provide services to provide support for those in a crisis or those close to experiencing this type of situation. The Uncle Matt’s Organic team supported CHS and families in need through a donation of $1,000 worth of diapers, children’s clothing, personal hygiene items, and non-perishable foods.
Eight Waves works with children and families in underprivileged areas to help them through eight key initiatives – reading intervention, life experiences, mentorship, family stability, birthday parties, books for babies, single mom program, and hygiene help. This holiday season, the Uncle Matt’s team is donating $1,000 towards their “Give a Child an Experience” program to help provide children with an interactive gift this year. The team also volunteered to help with crafts at the children’s Christmas party and provided festive pajamas for the kids to wear to the party.
Through this combination of monetary gifts, physically donated items and volunteer hours, the Uncle Matt’s Organic team is proud to have provided around $40,000 worth of support to organizations making a true difference in our community and surrounding areas in 2022. Giving back is a privilege that we’re honored to take part in year-round, and we look forward to continuing to help grow healthier generations in 2023.