Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Moore.
Hi Lisa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
We started back in 2011 with me organizing a quarterly food drive through my husband and his business partner’s company, Kavaliro. After watching a 60 Minutes documentary about homelessness in Central Florida, our executive team, with myself and one other person being former teachers, was inspired to find a way to help “fuel the community.” Once a quarter, we collected specific food items—like peanut butter and jelly—to donate to local public school food pantries and their Backpack Programs.
These programs help students who receive free or reduced lunch along with families who may be going through a tough time financially. Every Friday, backpacks are filled with healthy food for students to take home, making sure families have meals for the weekend. On Monday, the backpacks come back to school to be refilled. Because the need is so great, the families receiving backpacks often rotate week to week.
As word spread and more people got involved, it became clear to us this small idea could make a bigger impact. In 2013, Kick Off For Kids was officially born, being named after its annual event held on NFL Kick-Off Thursday.
That same year, we became a 501(c)(3) and hosted our first annual event in Orlando. More than 200 people showed up to support the cause, and through sponsorships, raffles, games, and a live auction, we raised over $10,000 and collected 2,000 pounds of food. Those donations helped support six local schools throughout that year.
Since then, we have continued to grow thanks to an incredibly generous community. What started with just a couple of schools has grown to supporting 44 schools today—and the need across Central Florida keeps growing as more schools reach out for help.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Overall, the journey has been smooth. We have grown organically and helped as we are able. I wouldn’t say we’ve had struggles, but our reality is we operate on volunteer power and community support so that 100% of money we raise goes directly towards buying food for children facing food insecurity. With that, our budget is determined by how much money we raise at the annual fundraising event and donations that come in over the year, so we don’t have a set/consistent amount of money per school for each delivery. Some quarters may come with more food than others. Also, shopping and getting food out to 44 schools requires a lot of man power. Our donations need to be delivered during school hours so someone is there to receive it so finding volunteers able to take off work or school can present a challenge from time to time,
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kick Off For Kids?
The thing we take pride in most about Kick Off For Kids is that every cent we raise goes directly towards fighting food insecurity. There is no overhead. Our board is made up of professionals who volunteer their time to help with legal, accounting, event planning…anything that keeps the charity functioning. Any costs incurred are covered by Kavaliro. We also make sure 100% of the funds stay here in Central Florida, so our sponsors and donors are feeding children potentially right down the road. We love the organic growth this organization has had because our supporters become so passionate about the mission their enthusiasm gets others on board and the momentum snowballs. We have an amazing village and its because those that help us are helping with their hearts and not out of obligation. They want to make a difference and they can see the impact their support is making by how many schools we are able to help.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I guess I would say to lead with your heart. This started because an executive team decided one of their company core values was to give back to their community. Add that to the timing of seeing something on television, the heart strings of two former teachers, and a friend that got wind of what we were doing and wanted to make a difference by helping create the non-profit…we were all passionate so creating Kick Off For Kids was easy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kickoffforkidsorlando.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickoffforkids/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KOFKCentralFL/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kickoffforkids/
- Twitter: https://x.com/KOFKCentralFL
