It took over 150,000 loaves of bread, 11,719 gallons of peanut butter and 50,000 hours to make 1.5 million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the milestone reached by volunteers at Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon.
Still, the number that matters most to volunteers is the number of hungry souls served over the course of almost two decades.
Count among them Luann Leahy, who 20 years ago asked Nativity officials if they would consider such an effort. She had been volunteering to make sandwiches at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Seffner after the last of her three children enrolled in kindergarten.
With a small space and increasing need taking its toll at St. Francis, Leahy suggested Nativity Catholic Church as a possible mission site. Her ask led to quick approval by the Rev. Arthur J. Proulx, who put Leahy in touch with the late Patricia LeJeune, who for decades ran the Nativity Catholic Church Food Bank and Food Pantry.
“Father Proulx told me Pat would help me with whatever I needed and she did,” Leahy said, about the Nativity priest from 2004 to 2014. “They provided peanut butter, jelly, bread and sandwich bags, and we did the rest.”
That was in November 2005. In July, Leahy had the privilege, on behalf of the Nativity Peanut Butter and Jelly Ministry, to ride as the grand marshal in the Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade. With her were Jim Courtney, her ‘righthand man,’ and his wife, Joan, who were “with me from the beginning,” Leahy said.
Greater Brandon Action Network (GBAN) parade organizers selected Leahy as grand marshal to promote and celebrate the PBJ mission, which Leahy said started with five volunteers and 30 loaves of bread.
“We feed the homeless, hungry and displaced,” Leahy said. “We also collect and give out clothing, shoes, and household items.”
The list includes blankets for the cold, school supplies for students and Christmas and Easter bags to ensure seasonal cheer.
“We want people to feel special and to know that they’re not alone, and that we’re thinking about them,” Leahy said. “We’re all children of God, and that’s what we have in common.”
Working with the mission are 15 nonprofits, including the San Jose Mission in Dover, Liberty Southern Baptist Church in Plant City, the Trinity Cafe in Tampa, the Good Samaritan Inn in Tampa and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Seffner.
Volunteers meet twice a month to make sandwiches at Nativity. Upcoming dates, all on Fridays, are September 19; October 3, 17 and 31; November 14; and December 5 and 19, which also has a Christmas goodie bag and toy stocking giveaway. For more, visit the ministry on Facebook or call Leahy at 813-659-0181.
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