Parkland Resident Holds Fundraiser to Help Feed the Homeless

by Jill Fox July 18, 2020

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Eden Samara, Audrey Samara, and friend, Robin Louis at Andy’s Pasta Dinner, LifeNet4Families’ biggest fundraiser of the year.

By Jill Fox

Parkland resident Audrey Samara enjoys volunteering, and during these times, she wanted to find a way to help as many people as possible.

In an effort to feed the homeless, help out a local business, and potentially assist a struggling family, Samara, who lives in Heron Bay, created a 50/50 raffle on Facebook.

“I knew the homeless population is often overlooked and wouldn’t be able to afford things,” said Samara, “And they can’t rely on sanitizer and frequent hand washing to stay safe.”

Her goal was to help them and others who were suffering as well.

“A 50/50 raffle is a win, win, win for all three,” she said.

112 lunches were donated to LifeNet4Families to help feed the homeless.

Samara reached out to fellow volunteer and friend, Lisa Schettino, for help. The two met during a Make Our Schools Safe project with their children while bagging toiletries at the homeless shelter.

Schettino, who owns a Pompano Beach Subway restaurant, has been supporting frontline workers during COVID-19 by delivering lunches donated by others through her website Feedingfrontlineheroes.com.

“It was very humbling to be able to be part of this mission,” said Schettino, who provided the Subway combo meals at a reduced cost for Samara.

After collecting $1,000, Samara selected a winner, who chose to donate back a portion of her winnings. With the money, they were able to provide a total of 112 lunches to LifeNet4Families to help feed the homeless.

“I always try to think of ideas to show my kids how to give back, said the Heron Bay resident, “And we’ve done a lot for LifeNet4Families.”

Samara’s three children: Eden, 17, Jonah, 15 and Romi, 12, volunteer their time for the Junior chefs program there.

According to the LifeNet4Families staff, it was perfect timing because they had been short-handed, and they were very grateful for the lunches to help feed the individuals who line up for meals once a day.

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Jill Fox

Jill Fox is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. She has worked in public relations and television for over 20 years. Fox lives in Parkland with her husband and their two children.