Samantha is 21-years-old and a first year J.D. Candidate at Brooklyn Law School. Sam is a founder of Feeding the Fosters, plans events, fundraises by writing grants, and manages our website and social media accounts. She was awarded the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award and the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award for her work in the community with Feeding the Fosters and has reached out to serve a few foster families in the Miami area during her undergrad. After earning her degree in Music Industry from the University of Miami, she looks forward to learning more about our legal system to eventually advocate for music creators and volunteer as a Guardian Ad Litem.

Laura is a 20-year-old junior studying International Politics at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. She recently served as a legislative intern in the office of congresswoman Kathy Castor representing Florida's 14th district. In high school, she was a participant in Girls State and advocated for human trafficked youth. She is an environmentalist at heart and lead the initiative on recycling food surplus. She is also responsible for publishing the Feeding the Fosters cookbook and leading the 2022 auction. She has been recognized with the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award among other academic accolades. Laura will continue to advocate for the community as she broadens her knowledge with a college education.

The gift of a servant’s heart has been passed down through the generations in Diana’s family. Choosing to follow in her parents’ footsteps, Diana chose a service profession and became a trauma emergency medicine Physician Assistant in Brooklyn, NY. There she met her husband, Dr. Robert Kopec, and they relocated to Florida to start their own family. Opting to stay home to raise her three children, Diana continued to serve the local community. Diana has advocated for children in foster care for many years as a volunteer with the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch as well as Big Brothers Big Sisters. In teaching her children gratitude, the entire family began providing meals for foster families and in 2019 Feeding the Fosters was born.

Dr. Robert Kopec is a dual-certified physician in both internal medicine and infectious diseases. He works as a Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Morton Plant Mease Hospital. As a physician, Rob is no stranger to serving others. He is a devoted husband and proud father of three who supports his family’s work in the community.

After growing up in New York, Christie moved to Florida in 2011 to give her son a better life. While in New York, she held multiple positions on PTA boards as well as a vast number of hours volunteering for school fundraisers and Toys for Tots toy drives. In 2017, she met the Kopec family through mutual involvement in volunteer activities with the Tarpons Springs Leadership Conservatory for the Arts. Through our families’ collective experience in this organization, we gave back to the community and spent thousands of hours in volunteer service supporting the arts. When Sam and Laura created Feeding the Fosters, Christie instantly started supporting this organization by cooking for families. Seeing the happiness she could bring simply from giving the gift of time is invaluable and brought her so much joy. She is always available to lend a helping hand and feels beyond blessed to be part of such an amazing organization.

Blessed to be a blessing is the best way to define how Jana Mir lives her life. It is when she is giving back and investing in others that she finds her greatest joy. Jana has spent most of her life in Pinellas County. She attended Belcher Elementary, Oak Grove Middle, and graduated from Pinellas Park High School. Jana attended University of Florida and graduated with a degree in Public Relations. She has four sons, who she could not be more proud of. She has volunteered in all of their schools, served as president of the PTA, was a member of SAC and has recently become a mentor. Jana was recognized as one of Pinellas County School's Volunteers of the Year in 2014. She has organized toy drives, lead more than 10 mission trips, and is thrilled to put her skills to work as part of the Feeding the Fosters family as Birthday Coordinator, or as we say the "Birthday Queen." Now that her sons are older, Jana is on to her next chapter and is opening a Board and Brush studio in Safety Harbor, where she anticipates many wonderful memories will be made and more doors will open to find ways to give back to her community.

Robert is a 17-year-old senior at Palm Harbor University High School in the IB program. Using his passions for fitness, basketball and music, he leads the PHUHS Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter as well as the CAS Board which recruits students to serve others. Robert aims to increase the meal outreach of Feeding the Fosters to aged-out teens. Bringing students together to creatively serve others to break the cycle of foster care and food insecurity are his ultimate goals.