{"id":2858,"date":"2021-09-10T09:34:45","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T13:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/?p=2858"},"modified":"2021-09-10T09:34:46","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T13:34:46","slug":"epic-cure-the-local-nonprofit-that-has-fed-thousands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/10\/epic-cure-the-local-nonprofit-that-has-fed-thousands\/","title":{"rendered":"Epic-Cure: The Local Nonprofit That Has Fed Thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>By Banks Vadeboncoeur<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>   Tables are blanketed in oranges, reds, and greens during Thanksgiving dinner. Gently roasted potatoes, honey glazed turkey, and freshly baked pumpkin cheesecake waft from the oven. On Christmas, hearty feasts are eaten and grins are shared as children stuff yeast rolls and mince pies onto the same plate. Even on an average evening, a meatloaf is split between a family of four while the dog scrounges for any pieces that may drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Multiple American families, particularly those in St. John\u2019s County, do not have to worry about putting meals on the table. The blessing of having a food-filled pantry, therefore, is often overlooked. Unwanted food is carelessly thrown out, drinks are left to expire, and produce to mold. These actions are done without malice, yet their impact is massive. 30 to 40 percent of America\u2019s food supply ends up in landfills. Annually, food waste is also the largest component in landfills, making up 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; These staggering numbers shocked Sunny Mulford, the founder of the local nonprofit organization Epic-Cure, and was a clear call to action. With the help of her husband Ken, Sunny founded Epic-Cure Inc. in 2018. Epic-Cure, a 100 percent volunteer organization, has since helped fight the astonishing amount of food waste in Northeast Florida through food rescue and distribution. Nine and a half percent of St. Johns County households are experiencing food insecurity, and Epic-Cure provides food to many of these homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"alignfull wp-block-ugb-blockquote ugb-blockquote ugb-bb769e7 ugb-blockquote--v3 ugb-blockquote--design-plain ugb-main-block ugb-main-block--inner-center ugb--has-block-background ugb--has-top-separator\"><style>.ugb-bb769e7 .ugb-blockquote__text{font-size:51px !important;line-height:1.4em !important}.ugb-bb769e7.ugb-blockquote{background-color:#eee}.ugb-bb769e7.ugb-blockquote:before{background-color:#eee}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-bb769e7 .ugb-top-separator .ugb-separator-wrapper{height:303px}}@media screen and (max-width:1025px){.ugb-bb769e7 .ugb-blockquote__text{font-size:50px !important}}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-bb769e7 > .ugb-inner-block > .ugb-block-content > *{padding-top:40px !important;padding-bottom:40px !important;padding-right:40px !important;padding-left:40px !important}}<\/style><div class=\"ugb-top-separator\"><div class=\"ugb-separator-wrapper\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 1600 200\" filter=\"url(#wave-1-shadow_svg__a)\" enablebackground=\"new 0 0 1600 200\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"ugb-separator__shadow\" preserveaspectratio=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><filter id=\"wave-1-shadow_svg__a\"><feGaussianBlur in=\"SourceAlpha\" stddeviation=\"4\"><\/feGaussianBlur><feComponentTransfer><feFuncA type=\"linear\" slope=\"0.4\"><\/feFuncA><\/feComponentTransfer><feMerge><feMergeNode><\/feMergeNode><feMergeNode in=\"SourceGraphic\"><\/feMergeNode><\/feMerge><\/filter><path class=\"wave-1-shadow_svg__st2\" d=\"M1341.4 48.9c-182.4 0-254.2 80.4-429.4 80.4-117.8 0-209.7-67.5-393.5-67.5-142.2 0-212.6 38.8-324.6 38.8S-10 64.7-10 64.7v10s91.9 35.9 203.9 35.9 182.4-38.8 324.6-38.8c183.8 0 275.7 67.5 393.5 67.5 175.2 0 247-80.4 429.4-80.4 87.6 0 158 12.9 268.6 53.1v-10c-110.6-40.2-181-53.1-268.6-53.1z\"><\/path><\/svg><svg viewbox=\"0 0 1600 200\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"ugb-separator__layer-1\" preserveaspectratio=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path class=\"wave-1_svg__st2\" d=\"M1341.4 48.9c-182.4 0-254.2 80.4-429.4 80.4-117.8 0-209.7-67.5-393.5-67.5-142.2 0-212.6 38.8-324.6 38.8S-10 64.7-10 64.7V210h1620V102c-110.6-40.2-181-53.1-268.6-53.1z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ugb-inner-block ugb-inner-block--center\"><div class=\"ugb-block-content\"><div class=\"ugb-blockquote__item\"><div class=\"ugb-blockquote__content\"><p class=\"ugb-blockquote__text\"><meta charset=\"utf-8\">In total, Epic-Cure has provided approximately 70 pounds of food around 89,000 times to families experiencing food insecurity.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"color: #444;background-color: #eee\" class=\"ugb-highlight\">What does Epic-Cure do?&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; The process in which Epic-Cure rescues and redistributes food is both efficient and effective. Epic-Cure is reliant on community volunteers who are willing to give their time to the cause. First, donated food is picked up from grocery stores, food pantries, and various other donors. Volunteers then assist in organizing this food in local Epic-Cure warehouses throughout the week. Volunteer opportunities are updated weekly on Epic-Cure\u2019s Facebook Volunteer Group. \u201cLast time I volunteered for Epic-Cure, I sorted meat and unloaded trucks,\u201d explained sophomore, Ellie Goodfriend, who recently volunteered in Epic-Cure\u2019s St. Augustine facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; After being sorted, food is distributed to those who are food insecure in the community. This has an incredible impact on the lives of those in need. In total, Epic-Cure has provided approximately 70 pounds of food around 89,000 times to families experiencing food insecurity. Mulford stated, \u201cBy us providing that food on a regular and consistent basis\u2026 senior citizens might be able to purchase medicine that they couldn\u2019t have otherwise purchased. Working families\u2026 will say that because of the food they didn\u2019t have to buy, they were able to pay their utility bills, or make their car or mortgage payments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; In addition to providing families with food, Epic-Cure also helps the local children form life skills and build their resumes. This assistance is provided in the form of cooking classes, in which local chefs and senior volunteers instruct school-aged children. Through this effort, local youth learn to feed their own families and lead a healthier lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading_225bca-d2 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_225bca-d2\"><strong><span style=\"color: #444;background-color: #eee\" class=\"ugb-highlight\">What can you do to help?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Although Epic-Cure facilities are always accepting volunteers, the most practical way to assist this organization is by joining the Ponte Vedra High School Epic-Cure Club. This club will be accepting members at the Club Fair. Not only does the club provide service hours for Bright Futures, it is also a very effective way to give back to the community. Club President, senior, Evan Fleischer, claims, \u201cWe work really closely with the owners and it is a way to spread the word about the cause. We also do food distributions around the school.\u201d The club meets monthly and hosts multiple volunteers events throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; In addition, somebody can get involved with Epic-Cure by volunteering in their local warehouses. Volunteer dates and locations are updated weekly on the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.epic-cure.org\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"www.epic-cure.org\" target=\"_blank\">Epic-Cure website<\/a> and on Epic-Cure\u2019s Facebook Volunteer Group. Epic-Cure also accepts monetary donations through their website. This helps Epic-Cure\u2019s food rescue initiative and allows more underprivileged children to attend cooking classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Epic-Cure is an outstanding organization for an even more important cause. It sheds light on the fact that although most people in our community are fortunate and have ample food supply, thousands continue to suffer from food insecurity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Banks Vadeboncoeur Tables are blanketed in oranges, reds, and greens during Thanksgiving dinner. Gently roasted potatoes, honey glazed turkey, and freshly baked pumpkin cheesecake waft from the oven. On Christmas, hearty feasts are eaten and grins are shared as&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,69],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/epic-cure-graphic.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2858"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2858"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2865,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2858\/revisions\/2865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}