Fletch's Perspective July 2026 - Friends & Neighbors of Martin County

Keith Fletcher

Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, President & CEO

It’s always nice to see young people in our culinary program learn the value of a hard day’s work. This summer, we got to watch them more fully learn something even more important—the value of kindness and generosity.

At Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County (BGCMC), our culinary program is changing the lives of our members for the better. They’re earning industry certifications, learning employable skills, managing almost every aspect of our food truck, and operating our growing catering operation that even includes managing food service at a local yacht club.

They’re also earning a competitive hourly wage. Nearly nine out of 10 BGCMC members qualify for Martin County School District’s free/reduced school lunch program, so the extra money they bring in through this part-time work often helps support their own parents and guardians. 

Now, thanks to the latest initiative put on by our culinary program, some members realized that no matter how severe their own circumstances, lots of kids in our community carry even heavier burdens. That inspired them to help lighten the loads of others.

Food insecurity remains a growing concern across the Treasure Coast. To help alleviate the needs faced in rural areas over the summer, we launched a boxed meal program. It was part of the No Kid Hungry Florida food drive in conjunction with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

For seven days a week over 12 weeks, our culinary program created 8,400 boxed breakfasts and lunches for a total of 100,800 meals made and served over the summer.

Created in compliance with the state’s nutritional guidelines, the meals consisted of protein, fruits, vegetables, and milk. They were available for free to anyone ages 5 to 18.

For a steady period this summer, we dispersed a week’s worth of meals from noon to 1 p.m. Saturdays from Big Mound Park in Indiantown as well as from the Okeechobee Library, as this was a regional effort serving rural areas.

The young people in our culinary program cooked the meals at our Greater Stuart Club. They packaged the meals at our Hobe Sound facility. Transported through three trucks, the meals got distributed through our well-organized line operations that enable grab-and-go service to the recipients.

As mentioned earlier, the members in our culinary program get paid for the work they do. In fact, a significant portion of our payroll is composed of the wages our members earn through culinary and our additional workforce programs and apprenticeships in the fields of electrical, HVAC, construction and more.

But when it comes to staffing the teams to help disburse the food, we depended on volunteers. Thankfully, members of our culinary team stepped up. Many of them have known what it’s like to go hungry. Thanks to the culinary program, they also know the pleasure that comes with making someone a good meal.

Thanks to this effort, they experienced the added joy of putting those meals directly in the hands of the people who need them the most.

Developing a strong work ethic produces a lot of personal benefits. Developing a desire to help others in need—and the courage to act upon it—produces countless societal and personal benefits.



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