Miami, FL – Be Strong International was honored with a proclamation from the Village of Palmetto Bay on Tuesday after providing school supplies and other household items to needy families during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused a loss of job and income nationwide.
Mayor of Village of Palmetto Bay, Karyn Cunningham, presented Be Strong with an official proclamation on September 14, 2020, for its school supply and food drive-thru distribution last month. With help from local and state government officials, the Children’s Trust, and the Miami Dolphins, Be Strong staff personally packed and provided food boxes alongside supply-filled bookbags to more than 200 families on August 14th.
The “Be Strong Day Back-to-School Drive-Thru Distribution” was the first school supply distribution in the Palmetto Bay area, as well as for the 25-year-old organization itself. Traditionally BSI hosts “Be Strong Day” as an annual outdoor recreational event, but this year, the pandemic shifted those plans and local families’ lives, especially as students were heading back to school.
“Given the circumstances,” said BSI Executive Director Michelle Shirley, “Be Strong Day became an opportunity to support the community in a most necessary way: helping youth and parents directly.”
The proclamation ceremony, which began at 6:30, was hosted virtually and included citizens of Palmetto Bay along with council members. Mayor Cunningham has expressed her commitment to supporting such efforts. She said, “We are pleased to be part of this back-to-school event and will continue to support Be Strong in helping families in every way we can during this time.”
Be Strong will host its next community distribution on Friday, November 20th, from 10 a.m. to noon, at which time they will be giving out food boxes for Thanksgiving. Details will be announced on the organization’s website www.bestrongintl.org and social media as the date approaches.
