Pinellas County, Fla. (April 30, 2020)—President and CEO Kirk Ray Smith announced that RCS Pinellas is one of three named beneficiaries of a GoFundMe campaign led by Crown Automotive Group. The #CrownFightsHunger campaign has a goal of $30,000, which Crown seeded with an initial gift of $10,000. The other nonprofits named are St. Pete Free Clinic and Florida Dream Center. The campaign is now live at gofundme.com/f/crownfightshunger.
Jim Myers, Crown Automotive Group President and COO, announced the campaign to the Crown team, saying, “Crown’s Mission Statement includes ‘energizing our community with inspirational impact and influence,’ and we think this is especially important during this time of economic duress for so many. Our team is excited to partner with these great organizations, and we hope that reaching our goal will be a blessing to our neighbors and families in Pinellas County.”
“We’re so appreciative of Crown Automotive Group for recognizing the need and immediately spearheading this ingenious campaign,” Smith said. “We’re dedicated to feeding every child, senior, student and family that comes to one of our 75 food banks, and partners like Crown, who can mobilize an extensive network, are key to our ability to meet the growing need we face during the global pandemic.”
Smith anticipates that the funds RCS Pinellas receives will provide thousands of meals through the organization’s Food Bank. RCS Pinellas Food Bank serves 70,000 each year—more than the seating capacity of Raymond James Stadium. Almost of half of those they serve—32,000—are senior citizens and children. Annually, without the additional economic strain of a worldwide pandemic, RCS Pinellas distributes more than 6 million pounds of food to Pinellas County residents.
“We chose RCS Pinellas as one of the beneficiaries of this campaign because of their leadership, mission and reputation,” said Kevin Hawkins, Executive Director of Crown Automotive Group. “They have a rich history of superior community impact and reach.”
As we enter the second month of social distancing and safer-at home guidelines, many Pinellas residents have seen major disruptions to their income and access to food, and the Food Bank has seen an increase in first-time visitors of 100 percent. “We’re contacted daily by people who’ve never before been in a position of not having the resources to feed their family,” Smith said.
“If you or someone you know is in need of our assistance,” Smith said, “please know we have resources for you. With support from community-minded and compassionate partners like Crown Automotive Group, we’ll be here every day to provide help and hope.”
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ABOUT RCS PINELLAS
RCS Pinellas has provided help & hope to people in need for 50 years. RCS’s mission is to feed the hungry, help families facing homelessness return to self-sufficiency, and empower survivors of domestic violence. Over 130,000 Pinellas County individuals are served annually with dignity to accomplish this mission at the RCS Food Bank, the RCS Grace House, The Haven of RCS, RCS Affordable Housing, RCS Energy Assistance Program, and RCS thrift store partnerships. For more information on RCS, visit www.rcspinellas.org or call 727-584-3528.
ABOUT CROWN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP
Over the last 50 years, Crown Automotive Group has grown into one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the nation with operations in Florida, Ohio, and Tennessee. Every Crown Automotive dealership features an extensive selection of new, certified, and meticulously inspected pre-owned vehicles with financing options for every budget. Customers can also expect superior service from a team of highly trained technicians at Crown’s signature award-winning service facilities. Driven by four core values: Customer Focus, Teamwork, Integrity, and Growth, the group is committed to providing each customer with “The Better Way To Buy.” Visit http://www.crowncars.com for more information on Crown Automotive Group and The Better Way To Buy.