All Faiths Food Bank just completed a successful Summer Hunger campaign to help keep Sarasota’s children well-fed even when the school cafeterias close for the summer. Sandra Frank, CEO of the food bank, says this effort remains one of the most important for her organization, but they will stay busy all year keeping families fed. So what helped shape this giving spirit?

Yoga

My hobby is fitness. I belong to LA Fitness and follow a yoga instructor there. I heard a quote the other day about yoga that as you mature, you challenge yourself to learn something and to do it very well. I have chosen yoga. I like to experiment with different kinds. I love a combination of Vinyasa and Hatha. 

South America

I was in a wedding in Argentina and I am a godparent to children living there still. My love of South America is probably tied to my parents, who also had an affinity for Latin culture. I can’t even tell you how many times I have visited—just dozens—and if you include Central America it’s even more. I wouldn’t say I have a favorite country. I like to explore. When I travel, I want to experience not the tourist settings but really the small towns and the life in these locations.

Latin Dancing

I’ve studied dance all my life, since I was very young. This is just a natural interest I have and this has been a natural progression. I have danced at Empire Dancing in Sarasota. I can’t or shouldn’t do ballet anymore, so I have progressed to this. I do both ballroom dancing and Latin dancing, which I really love. 

Gourmet Cooking

Cooking is chemistry. It is science. I cook practically daily and I’m a member of a gourmet club. It’s nothing formal; we don’t have a name. It’s just a monthly activity. It’s something that I research and practice. 

Madeline Frank

My mother and the women in my family were always very strong and very smart. They have all been good businesswomen and really devoted mothers as well. My mother is 83 and just full of energy. She’s still really beautiful and hasn’t lost a beat because of her age. She only has become more determined and energetic. All of my friends want to be her when they are 83 years old.

Latin Cuisine

I’m still mourning the loss of Darwin’s. The Selva Grill is terrific. I’m pretty simple; my favorite thing is plantains. But this food always tends to be made from fresh products and it has to be prepared and served on the spot. It often features a combination of a fruit as part of the main meal, which is interesting. I’m crazy for the creative use of seasonings.

Steve Scheer

When I first got out of law school and was an attorney with the Michigan Medicaid program, the director there was an unbelievable, brilliant man. He was a microeconomist and he had a combination of being totally brilliant and charismatic. He could have worked any place but choose to dedicate his life to service. A lot of the people we have here and throughout the nonprofit world came from that place. They are so talented and just could succeed anywhere but they choose a life of service to people. There is humility about them.

Grandfather Clock

I am the curator of all special things in my family. I have a number of pieces of family furniture that are significant and have meaning. My grandfather clock stands at least six feet tall. It’s not that old. This was a gift from my parents to me when I graduated to law school. I was the first woman in my family to graduate from college, and then to go to grad school and law school was pretty significant to them. It has moved with us. We packaged up the weights and pendulums and moved from Michigan to Florida. I keep it right in the living room now.