PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Rep. Charlie Crist (D-13th District) spent Wednesday visiting sites helping people in need due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Crist joined volunteers at the Hispanic Outreach Center in Clearwater to help distribute food to needy families.

“I think it’s important and incumbent upon all of us as public servants rather than politicians to do the right thing, to help each other,” said Crist.

The center has fed nearly 200 families each week for the last month.

“We feel happy to do something positive to help our community, to do something in this pandemic,” said Vicky Obando with the Center.

During his visit, Crist showed volunteers a bracelet he wears that reads "Practice the golden rule every day."

He says he lives by that rule, which is why he wanted to join volunteer efforts at the center Wednesday.

“The Hispanic Outreach Program doing this is a godsend and I’m just very proud to help a little bit," said Crist.

Obando said the visit meant a great deal to them in terms of lawmakers being part of their community.

“When a politician comes to us, it means they’re paying attention to our needs and paying attention to what is important for the community,” said Obando.

But most importantly, they want people to know they’re cared about.

They try to offer hope to others in what might feel to some like hopeless times.

"We’re facing this pandemic, we have been facing it for months now. We have violence all around the country including right here in Florida in Pinellas County, so I think a ray of hope is more important now than ever,” said Crist.

Crist also visited Big Storm brewing in Clearwater to learn about their efforts to make hand sanitizer and St. Vincent de Paul Center of Hope to deliver masks to homeless veterans.