Jack Davis Leads the Way to the Florida Restaurant Lending a Helping Hand Act

You often hear people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For Jack Davis, a breakfast he ate last year in Chattanooga, Tennessee while traveling with his family was a truly eye-opening experience, ultimately resulting in an important change in Florida law that will benefit thousands of homeless people and others in need of nourishing meals.

At that breakfast, Jack learned that uneaten food at restaurants and hotels is almost always thrown out. Disturbed by the thought of so much food going to waste, he was inspired to see if he could change the law in favor of restaurants and hotels in order to protect them from liability when donating to homeless shelters and other programs that serve food. Because of increased litigation against restaurants, donations of leftover food have dropped dramatically in recent years.

With the help of his dad and a friend, Stephen Marino, an attorney and a board member of a statewide association of consumer advocates, Jack connected with two Florida legislators to present bills in the Florida House and Senate that will enable restaurants and hotels to legally donate leftover food to homeless shelters. The Florida Restaurant Lending a Helping Hand Act has just one more step before it heads to a full vote.

Jack hopes that his involvement encourages kids his age to help others. ”I can really believe in myself because I’m just a kid, and kids are usually not the ones who change the world,” he said.

To learn more about Jack and the legislation he inspired, visit ABC.com’s website, where he was named “Person of the Week,” or view a video interview with Jack, here.