Keeping Children From Going Hungry Is His (Green) Bag

The Ledger - April 25, 2010

By Michael W. Freeman

CHAMPIONSGATE | From his office at ChampionsGate, Tom Brannigan hands out plenty of green shopping bags, large enough to fill up with hefty amounts of food.

Brannigan, though, isn't operating a grocery store. In fact, he wants people to give him food - not the other way around.

"The concept is simple," he said. "There are tens of thousands of hungry kids out there in Central Florida. Our goal is to provide adequate support so they don't have to go hungry."

Brannigan is managing the Green Bag Project, which distributes the bags to local homes with a special request: return them filled with as much food as people can afford to put in there.

"We take these bags and pass them out in residential neighborhoods, and we ask people to put food in them," he said. "We have received a remarkable 50 percent participation rate."

Earlier this month, Brannigan made a presentation to the Four Corners Area Council. The group held its monthly meeting at ChampionsGate Golf Club, Brannigan's home turf - his office is at 1503 Legends Drive at ChampionsGate - and the vice-chairwoman of the council, Mary Ellen Kerber, invited him to stop by and to discuss his project.

"This is a great opportunity to help people in our area," Kerber said.

Brannigan said the neighborhood distribution program has been successful enough that he's also launched a Realtor's program, asking local Realtors to pick neighborhoods where the bags can be dropped off. He also has started a church program that invites local churches to give the bags to their parishioners.

In addition, he's launching a corporate program asking businesses to "adopt" green bag and to help get them filled.

"We'd like to bring the bags to your office," he told the business owners from the Four Corners area who make up the council. "We will deliver the food wherever we are told. If the company wants the food delivered to a particular food pantry, we will do that."

Brannigan, himself a Realtor, launched the program on Jan. 25. It's been an entirely volunteer effort so far.

"We do not seek or ask for financial support," he said. "We have no employees or salaries or rent to pay. But there is a chronic need out there. We call this caring and sharing. We want to bring the food back to the local community where it is collected."

Kerber noted that far too many families working in the local tourism industry are struggling to make ends meet, and some of them are living in hotels that have become weekly rentals because they can't afford the rent for regular apartments.

"With the weekly rental hotels in our area, there is a great need here," she said.

Brannigan said council members can also help by letting more people know about Green Bag Project.

"What you can do now is help me spread the word," he said.

Any nonperishable food is appreciated, although Brannigan said there's also a strong need for baby foods, cereals, and disposable diapers.

To learn more, log on to www.green-bag-project.org, or call 863-420-0502.