October 9, 2020, would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday, and to honor his life, Feeding Florida is giving residents the opportunity to help fight hunger in the state by buying a special "Imagine" license plate tag.
All proceeds from the specialty license plate, which includes the late musician’s iconic self-portrait, will go directly to Feeding Florida, a statewide network of food banks working to end hunger.
Use of Lennon’s self-portrait was authorised by Yoko Ono, Lennon’s widow, in 2003.
“Imagine is a great word to spread around and I was happy to do this because it is helping a very important charity,” Ono said.
According to Feeding Florida, more than 3.8 million Floridians are struggling with food insecurity in 2020, up 43.5% from 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the financial strain it has put on families.
“We are lucky to have a specialty tag where people can publicly show support for ending hunger and also give a financial contribution that makes a difference,” said Robin Safley, Executive Director of Feeding Florida. “Our food banks are trying to meet the increased need as a result of COVID, so every little bit helps.”
The "Imagine" tag, which is named after one of Lennon's best known songs, can be bought at the local tax collector’s office, in person or online. More information on the tag is at Imagine-FeedingFlorida.com.
WJCT is honoring the former Beatle’s life with a four day musical event. “Imagine: A John Lennon Tribute” is being presented through Sunday on the Anthology station, which is available on the WJCT app, 89.9 FM HD3, at WJCT.org/jaxmusic. Lennon-inspired programming is also airing on WJCT-TV 7.1.
“John Lennon’s unrivaled musical brilliance continues to inspire generations of artists and music fans, 80 years after his birth and nearly 40 years after his life was cut tragically short,” said David Luckin, Music Director at WJCT. “We developed the idea for ‘Imagine: A John Lennon Tribute’ as a way to create unity around John’s enduring legacy - one of peace, kindness and love.”
Brendan Rivers can be reached at brivers@wjct.org, 904-358-6396 or on Twitter at @BrendanRivers.
