In gratitude of her 25 years of teaching children how to help hungry families, Renee Herman has been named the 2017 recipient of The Jim Moran Foundation Award. She was presented with a bronze sculpture created by South Florida artist George Gadson and an unrestricted $50,000 grant to Harvest Drive, the nonprofit of her choice.
"Renee truly embodies the spirit of philanthropy, and we are grateful for everything she has done to nurture unity, compassion and community service in our next generation of leaders," said Jan Moran, chairman and president of The Jim Moran Foundation.
In the early 1990s, Renee realized there were families in her neighborhood without enough to eat and decided to do something about it. She organized a small food drive along with a local elementary school to provide groceries to 20 struggling families. This effort led to the launch of Harvest Drive.
The all-volunteer organization staffed by students, teachers, school administrators and community members now holds multiple collection efforts, sorts donations and distributes a week's worth of food each year, including a full Thanksgiving meal, to more than 2,400 families throughout Broward County. Families in need of gently-used clothing and household items also receive assistance year-round through the nonprofit's "pop-up" boutique.
