b'Feeding the Poor, Health Clinic and Job Training in Boca Raton Boca Helping Hands is a volunteer-driven organization with only 16 staff members and more than 300 volunteers, whose mission is to provide food, medical and financial assistance to meet basic human needs as well as education, job training and guidance to create self-sufficiency.Their goal is to help the neediest cross the bridge to independence.They run a Food Center and Pantry Program plus they supply meals to the homebound, provide job training, mentoring, and limited financial assistance. They work at providing solutions to hunger and poverty in assisting low-income individuals, families and the elderly.In 2017 and 2018, BHH held classes training participants forjobsasHomeCareAides,TruckDrivers,ITHelpDesk Technicians,andpositionsintheHospitalityIndustry.Almostallof their graduates are now employed. The Food Center is open 6 days a week and in addition to serving 1,300 hot meals each week, BHH also gives out 5,000 pantry bags (some of which are delivered directly to the homeboundusingHealthDepartmentapprovedcoolersfundedby HOT) each month.Overtheyears,HOThasmademajorgrantstoenableBHHto purchase (1) a freezer, (2) a van, (3) a walk-in cooler see left, (4) a freight elevator see upper right (5) an air conditioner for the kitchen (6)arefrigeratedtruck,seebelow(7)aforklift,(8)anelectric straddlestacker,(9)aHydraulicScissorsDock,seebelow(10) computers for the job mentoring program We have also (11) set up an Emergency Aid Fund which, similar to HOTs other Financial Aid Funds, can only be used if all other sources of potential funding have beenexhausted,(12)hasmadenumeroussuccessfulchallenge grants,fillingbackpackswithweekendfoodforhungrychildren,(13)fundedthe purchase of an x-ray machine for their dental clinic, and (14) a challenge grant (which was met) to resurface the cafeteria flooring. Their current wish list includes: BHH has 2019/2020 funding for 700 of the 850 children intheirbackpackprogrambutneeds$44,550in multiplesof$297.00tofill150additionalbackpacks filled with a weekend of food for children who are in thefederalhotlunchprogram.Thefullcostis$9.00 per backpack or $297.00 per child for the entire 33 weekends during the school year, but HOT donors only need to give half the cost as BHH will find HOT a partner to pay the other half. YOUR$148.50 will feed a child for a weekend for 33 weekends. $10,800 for tuition to train 4 unemployed or underemployed to become IT Help Tech Technicians at $2,700 each$20,000 in increments of $1,000 for BHH to send 20 children of working parents to local summer camps9'