Annual PB&J drive returns to help fight hunger in Southwest Florida

It’s peanut butter jelly time in Southwest Florida.

Community Cooperative, a grassroots organization in Fort Myers, is continuing a decades-long tradition to help in their fight against hunger.

“Community Cooperative has an interesting history with peanut butter and jelly that’s really our humble roots and where we started,” said Stefanie Ink-Edwards, CEO of Community Cooperative. “It was a group of community citizens who got together and noticed that there was a hunger issue in Downtown Fort Myers. And so, they really got together and started making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, because it’s an easy thing to make. It’s an easy thing to distribute and who doesn’t like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

The ingredients are peanut butter, jelly and bread. They’re all shelf-stable.

It’s a popular snack for kids, and for some – a nutritious meal that keeps their family from going hungry.

That’s why in the month of April, Community Cooperative is taking in all the jars they can get.

Their goal – collect over 10,000 lbs. of peanut butter and jelly. And on Tuesday, the donations just kept on rolling in.

“We’re at like 3,500 pounds right now,” Ink-Edwards said. “Yeah, so a little way to go. But I think we have over 40 businesses and organizations that are doing drives at their own locations. And then there’s lots of churches, neighborhoods and civic organizations and even individuals who just get together and try and collect a few. Every jar helps.”

For anyone interested in making a donation, April 29 is the last day to bring in any kind of nut butter and assorted jellies to the Community Cooperative. They just ask everyone if they can donate those in plastic jars, as to not break the glass ones during their weigh in.