28- FR. WILLIAM F. COLLINS — Founder, Poverello Center, priest
Father Bill Collins was a priest at Saint Coleman Parrish in Pompano Beach and a chaplain at the Imperial Point hospital when he discovered that HIV/AIDS positive men and women needed life-saving food and basic living essentials. The year was 1984, and several years later, the Poverello Center and Thrift store were born. While the organization has gone through many locations and incarnations, its basic mission has never changed. It is now one of the largest food banks in the region, serving 3,000 low-income individuals with nearly 2 million meals. Father Bill is now 84, and still an inspiring cog in its wheel of success.
