Whole Child Connection was officially incorporated into the Treasure Coast Food Bank
After more than a decade operating as an independent non-profit organization in Martin County, Whole Child Connection was officially incorporated into the Treasure Coast Food Bank on July 1, 2015.
In April 2015, the Children’s Services Council of Martin County selected Treasure Coast Food Bank to assume Whole Child Connection after a competitive review process. The Whole Child Connection name remains in place, but the program is now integrated into the Treasure Coast Food Bank operations plan and budget. Click here to read the announcement of Treasure Coast Food Bank’s incorporation of Whole Child Connection.
Whole Child Connection was created to improve the lives of all families by providing the connection to a complete network of community resources.
Whole Child Connection is designed to provide a simple, straight-forward way to connect local families with the help that they need. It is available to all Martin County children and their families, ensuring anonymity while giving them access to a wide range of community services. The goal is to help families lead a healthier, more fulfilling life.
The inspiration for Whole Child Connection came from the Lawton Chiles Foundation, which was created by Florida First Lady Rhea Chiles in order to continue the Governor’s commitment to children by assisting communities to become Whole Child Communities. Indeed, Governor Chiles understood that successful nurturing and development of all children required a dramatically new approach, one that:
- Starts early – before conception
- Provides continuous support to parents
- Is grounded in the family
- Is holistic, considering the health, economic, social, education, spiritual and environment in which the child lives
- Creates a “no wrong door” culture whereby service providers are committed to building collaborative service delivery networks instead of competitive, single-strategy agencies and institutions
- Builds a partnership across all sectors of our society whose activities impinge on the lives of children
To learn more about the WCC program, please contact Krista Garofalo, Chief Strategy & Advocacy Officer, at 772-489-3034 or kgarofalo@tcfoodbank.org.
Whole Child Connection is funded by Children’s Services Council of Martin County, United Way of Martin County, and individual donations. We are grateful for their ongoing support.