Five Florida Curves Clubs Donate Record Breaking Amount of Food to St Vincent de Paul Society

Top Quote Curves of Seminole, Pinellas Park South, Pinellas Park North, Largo and St Petersburg-Boyd Hill collected over 4,100 lbs of food during the 2011 Annual Food Drive. End Quote
  • Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (1888PressRelease) May 30, 2011 - Working with the St. Matthew Chapter and the Downtown St Petersburg District Chapter of the St Vincent de Paul Society, five Pinellas County Curves clubs collected 4,116 lbs of food. With this amount, the St Matthew Chapter of the St Vincent de Paul Society not only broke the previous record of 2,700 pounds of food collected, but reached a new high for the amount of food reported to the Feinstein Foundation Grant for matching funds. The Feinstein Grant Foundation provides matching cash donations each year to thousands of charities. This new record collection means a larger matching check this year for St Vincent de Paul, greatly increasing their ability to serve needy clients.

    Jan DeMeza, a member of the St Matthew Chapter and one of the major organizers of this project, in a thank you directed to Curves International said," It's such a blessing that the owners of our local Curves franchises continue to search for ways to make a real difference in their communities." Jan, her husband Norm, and other members of the St Matthew Chapter worked very hard collecting the food and delivering it to the food pantry. Thanks to the joint efforts of Curves and St Vincent de Paul, many needy families have been fed over the past two months.

    During the Food Drive, Curves members brought in bags and boxes of groceries, adding to the donations by new members who took advantage of an offer made by the franchisees to waive their joining fees with a food donation.

    Over the years, the Curves of Pinellas County have assisted numerous charities. They have worked with the American Cancer Society, CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse), The Regal Foundation (the charity established by Regal Cinemas benefiting many national children's charities) and locally, many churches and other organizations. The franchisees like to refer to this community sharing as "Curves Community". In this same spirit, the founders of Curves International, Gary and Diane Heavin recently appeared on the Secret Millionaire TV program where they donated almost a half million dollars to three charities of their choice in Houston, Texas. The Heavins encourage community involvement.

    Many Curves members often comment that they find a different type of gym at Curves. The caring ambiance and an atmosphere of kindness and willingness to assist their members to change their lives positively is a refreshing surprise when compared to the usual gym atmosphere. The same giving attitude that is demonstrated in helping these organizations is often transferred to the members by the Curves Coaches and owners. The members in turn respond when asked to participate in helping others. Curves is a very different gym!

    Pinellas County Curves are not stopping with the Food Drive. They continue to react to the needs of Pinellas County women this Summer. Since so many women are still out of work or looking for work, the local owners of Curves are responding to that need by making it affordable for a woman to try Curves. They are offering a 30 day program, including training and fitness assessment, for $30 through this Summer. Looking for a job or learning a new job can be very stressful and exercise is a great stress relief. Having confidence in your appearance and poise from knowing that you look your best can also add a personal boost for women with job hunting and interviewing still on the calendar.

    The St Matthew Chapter of St Vincent de Paul is always open to anyone wishing to help St Vincent de Paul. Anyone interested in helping can leave a message either at the St Vincent de Paul Help Line at 727-398-6618 or write to the St Matthew Catholic Church, St Vincent de Paul Conference, P O Box 10097, Largo, FL 33777.

    For more information about the Curves that participated in this program, contact the club geographically closest to your address. Participating clubs were Seminole 727-320-9737, Pinellas Park South 727-547-4727, Pinellas Park North 727-561-0425, Largo 727-559-7741 and Curves South St Petersburg/Boyd Hill 727-865-8508. To contact other Pinellas County clubs, go to www.curvestampabay.com.

    About Curves
    Curves is a fitness facility designed for women that works every major muscle group with a complete 30-minute workout that combines strength training and sustained cardiovascular activity through safe and effective hydraulic resistance. Curves also works to help women lose weight, gain muscle strength and aerobic capacity, and raise metabolism with its groundbreaking, scientifically proven method that ends the need for perpetual dieting. Founders Gary and Diane Heavin are considered the innovators of the express fitness phenomenon that has made exercise available to millions of women globally, many of whom are in the gym for the first time. With thousands of locations worldwide, Curves is the world's largest fitness franchise. For more information, please visit: www.curvestampabay.com

    About St Vincent de Paul Society, St Matthew Chapter
    St Matthew's St Vincent de Paul Society is able to use 96 percent of its donations directly for client help. The low overhead is due to the fact that it is solely comprised of volunteers who donate their time and gas while doing home visits. After ascertaining true need, SVDP offers utility, food, and other assistance to their clients. Due to the economy, last year many clients asked for help for the first time in their lives. St Vincent de Paul Society's goal is to supply these families with a helping hand that will hopefully provide a chance to return to financial stability. For more information, leave a message on the SVDP Help Line at 727-398-6618.

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