SWFL teachers take pies to face to help feed families

The long lines at local food drives are what inspired one Collier County teacher to help in a new way.

“We’re trying to get these kids dinner because breakfast and lunch are covered by the district, but a lot of families still scramble for dinner so we thought, pie to the face,” said Don Eckert.

So he’s inspiring people to take a pie and throw it to help feed families in Southwest Florida.

His new #PieForDinnerChallenge requires participants to first make a donation to a local food bank of their choice. Then, the challenge participant must record a video of themselves in which they state the recipient of their donation and challenge others to also give to a Southwest Florida food bank. The last part of their challenge/video: taking a pie to the face.

“We were looking for something more virtual and challenges like this have worked really well in the past and sometimes they catch fire,” Eckert said. “I did the first video and I sent it out to teachers that I thought would jump on board.”

After Eckert completed his #PieForDinner donation, he started seeing other Lely Elementary School staff rise to his challenge.

“I made my donation to our local Harry Chapin Food Bank,” said Lely second grade teacher Magan Noe.

“We donated to our local charity food bank, so now we get to get a pie in the face,” said Hillary Hinkel.

Then, teachers across Collier County and beyond began donating to local food banks.

“This morning I donated to the Harry Chapin Food Bank and I’m going to take a pie to the face,” said East Naples Middle School teacher, Meghan Dolan. “I made my donation to our local Harry Chapin Food Bank to help support our very own community that needs our help during these weird and trying times.”

“I know this is starting to move outside of our school and maybe even outside of our district,” Eckert said.

Each challenge completed represents helping put dinner on the table for families in need.

“I would love to see more pie for dinner challenge videos all over the place,” Eckert said.

He hopes you’ll take the challenge and take a pie to the face for the cause.

Eckert encourages participants posting their videos to use the hashtag, #PieForDinnerChallenge. It’s already led to hundreds of dollars in donations going to Saint Matthew’s House, Harry Chapin and other local food banks.