As a real estate expert, Mirtha Barzaga understands the pulse of Northeast Florida and its residents. While many areas, especially in St. Johns County tend to encompass beautiful neighborhoods, exceptional schools and a higher-quality of living Mirtha sees the communities that are still poverty stricken and the families who need assistance. “We assume so much about living where we do since it’s surrounded by beautiful golf courses, beaches, and lovely communities,” shared Mirtha, “But the reality is there are plenty of families in our corner of the world who need a helping hand.” In 2012, Mirtha and her team started a Food and Toy Drive to help support families in need during the holidays. Donations came in from local residents and clients Mirtha had worked with and together they were quickly making an impact. “The bags of food and toys that came in were heartwarming,” Mirtha said.
Mirtha partnered with Homeless Coalition, a private, non-profit agency providing transitional housing to families with children that have encountered difficult times and are in crisis. The Homeless Coalition was overjoyed to accept the donations from the Holiday Food and Toy Drive that has continued and even expanded to multiple drop off locations.
Mirtha recently hosted a very successful drop off where hundreds of bags filled with toys and food were donated. On December 12th, from noon until 3:00 Mirtha and her team will host another Food and Toy Drive at Heritage Landing Amenity Center located at 370 Heritage Landing Parkway. Here are the items they are accepting as donations to the Homeless Coalition:
- New unwrapped toys
- Non-perishables
- Canned fruit
- Vegetables
- Beans
- Noodles
- Soups
- Ham
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Cleaning Supplies
- Toiletries
“As we approach the holiday season, and especially during a pandemic when so many lives have been greatly affected, I hope that everyone will want to do something to help out a neighbor,” said Mirtha, “It’s such a small contribution but makes such a big impact for these families.”
For more information about the 8th Annual Holiday Food and Toy Drive contact Mirtha Barzaga at 904-501-1830.
