Hadley Park Drive-Through Holiday Event Draws Crowds

Miami FL

22 December, 2021

4:44 PM

Description

By Johania Charles, Miami Times Staff Writer, the Miami Times Dec 21, 2021 Empower U Community Health Center's third annual food and toy drive drew hundreds of people to Charles Hadley Park on Friday in anticipation of the Christmas holiday. Parents patiently waited in their cars for produce from Farm Share, age-specific children's toys and even pet food at the drive-through distribution event. It was held in partnership with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and new City of Miami District 5 Commissioner Christine King, who could not attend due to a positive COVID-19 case in her office. "We've been in the community, feet to the ground, for the past 22 years, so it would behoove us to give back," said Lamar McMullen, empowerment coordinator at Empower U. "The agency tries to be mindful of what we do in the community and ways we can serve a greater purpose. Normally, we do this at the Northside Shopping Center, where we're located, but we did something different this year to be able to take it into the larger community." Empower U Community Health Center's third annual food and toy drive drew hundreds of people to Charles Hadley Park on Friday in anticipation of the Christmas holiday. Parents patiently waited in their cars for produce from Farm Share, age-specific children's toys and even pet food at the drive-through distribution event. It was held in partnership with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and new City of Miami District 5 Commissioner Christine King, who could not attend due to a positive COVID-19 case in her office. "We've been in the community, feet to the ground, for the past 22 years, so it would behoove us to give back," said Lamar McMullen, empowerment coordinator at Empower U. "The agency tries to be mindful of what we do in the community and ways we can serve a greater purpose. Normally, we do this at the Northside Shopping Center, where we're located, but we did something different this year to be able to take it into the larger community." (Johania Charles for The Miami Times) Empower U Community Health Center's third annual food and toy drive drew hundreds of people to Charles Hadley Park on Friday in anticipation of the Christmas holiday. Parents patiently waited in their cars for produce from Farm Share, age-specific children's toys and even pet food at the drive-through distribution event. It was held in partnership with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and new City of Miami District 5 Commissioner Christine King, who could not attend due to a positive COVID-19 case in her office. "We've been in the community, feet to the ground, for the past 22 years, so it would behoove us to give back," said Lamar McMullen, empowerment coordinator at Empower U. "The agency tries to be mindful of what we do in the community and ways we can serve a greater purpose. Normally, we do this at the Northside Shopping Center, where we're located, but we did something different this year to be able to take it into the larger community." (Johania Charles for The Miami Times) Empower U Community Health Center's third annual food and toy drive drew hundreds of people to Charles Hadley Park on Friday in anticipation of the Christmas holiday. Parents patiently waited in their cars for produce from Farm Share, age-specific children's toys and even pet food at the drive-through distribution event. It was held in partnership with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and new City of Miami District 5 Commissioner Christine King, who could not attend due to a positive COVID-19 case in her office. "We've been in the community, feet to the ground, for the past 22 years, so it would behoove us to give back," said Lamar McMullen, empowerment coordinator at Empower U. "The agency tries to be mindful of what we do in the community and ways we can serve a greater purpose. Normally, we do this at the Northside Shopping Center, where we're located, but we did something different this year to be able to take it into the larger community." (Johania Charles for The Miami Times) The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.