Boca Helping Hands (BHH) is reporting an increased demand for food among the working poor at its distribution center in Lake Worth Beach. Typically serving 400 hot meals each week, an increasing number of local residents have been showing up for help, with 543 this past week, an increase of almost 36 percent.

“The growth in numbers over the last month may reflect the effect of more people falling off of the SNAP (Supplemental Food Assistance Program) eligibility,” said Andrew Hagen, CEO of Boca Helping Hands.  “Hundreds of thousands of Floridians have lost these benefits over the past year.”

Boca Helping Hands launched its Lake Worth Beach distribution site at Proclaim Church in 2021, working with a small group of volunteers, preparing hot meals for those in need.  What began as a small experiment has grown into one of BHH’s most successful community programs.

Prior to serving as Boca Helping Hands’ CEO, Andrew Hagen served on the organization’s Board of Directors and was also the Pastor for Advent Lutheran Church in Boca Raton.  “While I was on the board of directors, we discussed opening another distribution site in Lake Worth and I offered Advent’s new church plant, Proclaim Church, as a possibility,” recalls Andrew Hagen. “The Saturday food distribution was so successful that we added a second night, quickly growing to serve more than 500 people each week.”

The kitchen crew, led by Michael Levine, was initially composed largely of members of Advent Lutheran Church and Proclaim Church, but over the years it has attracted new volunteers.  Steve Becker has been an unofficial but indispensable leader throughout those years, serving as the glue and guide for the kitchen volunteers.

“We are so blessed to have the most committed group of volunteers,” Becker says.  “These volunteers have been instrumental in growing the program and enabling us to feed more families in need.”

Murry Stegelmann, a Boca Raton financier who was looking for something meaningful to do in retirement, was recruited to help with the program. He has since gathered friends who now form the core of the Lake Worth Beach distribution team. “We know these people need a little helping hand, and we are happy to lend one,” said Stegleman.

The program makes extensive use of recovered and donated food and is supported by donors who make it possible for Boca Helping Hands to continue meeting the growing need in Lake Worth. For Hagen, however, what happens every Friday evening goes beyond the number of meals distributed.  “We are thrilled to offer a good meal to someone who needs it,” he says. “But I think the bigger thing we offer here is hope. People can’t live without it.”

Promise Fund, a South Florida-based nonprofit dedicated to increasing survivorship from breast and cervical cancer, will host free Mammography Screening Days on the following dates:

• August 15 at Growing Strong Ministries,1512 Northeast 4th Street, Boynton Beach, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

  • This screening event is presented in partnership with Florida Mobile Mammography, Florida Health and Growing Strong Ministries.

• August 28, 2026 at Consulado de Guatemala, 1926 10th Ave N #104, Lake Worth Beach, FL, 33461 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

  • This screening event is presented in partnership with Florida Mobile Mammography and Florida Health.

“The Promise Fund is here to make screenings accessible for everyone, especially those who might otherwise go without care,” said Lissette Lahoz, Promise Fund’s Palm Beach  County Navigator. “Early detection can make a real difference. Treatment is often easier to manage, and people are able to focus more on their health, their families, and their everyday lives.”

While Promise Fund’s program reaches women across Palm Beach, Broward, and Martin counties, it currently operates four co-located screening programs within partner sites in Palm Beach and Broward, and is actively working to secure funding to establish a co-located program in Martin County.

Appointments are required. To register, call 877-427-7664.

Promise Fund reaches tens of thousands of women in Palm Beach, Broward and Martin Counties who are uninsured, under insured or have limited or no access to healthcare. The organization, founded in 2018 by Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, is dedicated to increasing survivorship from cervical cancer and breast cancer by providing guided support and access to screenings, as well as early detection, treatment, and beyond.

To date, Promise Fund has reached more than 145,000 women in South Florida through education and advocacy, and has impacted the lives of over 27,000 women through access to screenings, diagnostics, and care and Promise Fund has helped 286 women who were diagnosed with cancer navigate getting treatment.

American Humane Society, the country’s first national animal welfare organization, has announced the incredible semi-finalists of this year’s 16th Annual Hero Dog Awards and encourages the public to vote for their favorite dogs.

The American Humane Hero Dog Awards is a nationwide competition that searches for and recognizes America’s standout dogs in five categories: Law Enforcement and First Responder, Service and Guide/Hearing Dogs, Therapy Dogs, Military Dogs, and Emerging Hero and Shelter Dogs.

Winners of the Hero Dog Awards are ordinary canine companions who do extraordinary things including saving lives, aiding their human companions and overall inspiring their communities.

“Congratulations to the incredible dogs nominated for the 16th Annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, President and CEO of American Humane Society. “Each of these extraordinary canines is living proof of something I believe deeply: that the bond between humans and animals has the power to heal us in ways nothing else can. Their courage, devotion and unconditional love remind us that the human-animal bond can mend hearts, strengthen communities and inspire hope even in our most difficult moments. As we share these remarkable journeys with the nation, I invite every American to join American Humane Society in honoring these heroes, whose compassion, resilience and service inspire us all.”

People across the United States can recognize the exceptional acts of canine heroism by casting their vote at americanhumane.org/hero-dog-awards.

16^th Annual Hero Dog Awards Semi-Finalists:

Law Enforcement and First Responder Dogs

Bubba from Washington, D.C.

Knox from Nashville, IN

K9 Rozi from Chicago, IL

K9 Joey from Washington, D.C.

Walter from Woodbridge, VA

Service and Guide/Hearing Dogs

Quake from Wayland, MI

Canela from Oviedo, FL

Eddie from Miami, FL

Juju from Leakesville, MS

Mars from Lancaster, PA

Therapy Dogs

Bree from Ypsilanti, MI

Maverick from Bellingham, WA

Star from Tampa, FL

Goosey from Baton Rouge, LA

Brooklyn from Minneapolis, MN

Military Dogs

Sage from Norfolk, VA

Tambo from Whitwell, TN

Targo from Camp Pendleton, CA

Blek from Valley Center, CA

K9 Lea from Fernandina Beach, FL

Emerging Hero and Shelter Dogs

Raleigh Roo from Clearwater, FL

Filmore from Santa Ana, CA

Parker from Canton, GA

Bubbles from Otisville, MI

Puma from Franklin, IN

Voting ends on September 18, 2026

The 16^th Annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards is proudly sponsored by Nubz, Trupanion and Waymo. Their partnership helps make possible this national celebration of the dogs whose courage, service and devotion inspire us all.

For more information about the American Humane Society Hero Dog Awards®, visit  americanhumane.org/hero-dog-awards.

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, email herodoginfo@americanhumane.org.

For more information on American Humane Society, visit americanhumane.org.