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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

County outlines Ridge Road construction timeline

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Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles recently laid out the time frame for the completion of the Ridge Road extension, a project that eventually will provide a new east-west corridor between Moon Lake Road and U.S. 41.

The project is broken into two phases, with a groundbreaking for the first phase held earlier this week.

County Administrator Dan Biles recently outlined a time frame for completing the Ridge Road extension, a new east-west connection for motorists. (File)

During the Pasco County Commission meeting last week, Biles laid out the time frame for the project — which the county has pursued for two decades. It finally received a permit for the project in December from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The first phase will build a new stretch of Ridge Road, which will extend from Moon Lake Road east to the Suncoast Parkway.

The second phase will continue the extension eastward, linking the Suncoast Parkway to U.S. 41.

Biles laid out these project milestones:

  • To Town Center Boulevard by Sept. 16
  • Two lanes to the Suncoast Parkway: July 20, 2021
  • Four lanes to the Suncoast Parkway: July 20, 2022
  • Four lanes to Sunlake Boulevard: September 2022
  • Four lanes to U.S. 41: September 2025

Although the first milestone calls for completion by Sept. 16, Biles believes that work will be finished sooner.

“We believe we will be able to get two lanes of traffic, if not all four lanes, before school starts, even if they’re not all done and buttoned up with that section,” Biles said. “We’re working with the school district to make sure that happens.”

There have long been complaints about traffic safety issues at River Ridge Middle and River Ridge High. The Ridge Road project would provide a second entrance and exit to the schools, improving safety.

The county is using an incentive system to encourage construction work to beat deadlines.

Biles told commissioners that the dates he outlined are considered to be “zero dates.”

“So, if they beat that date, there’s a bonus,” Biles explained.

The two lanes to the Suncoast also includes the entrance to the Moffitt/Excalibur piece, Biles said, referring to a massive “city within a city” type of project planned for Central Pasco.

The schedule, Biles said, “gets us two lanes of traffic to the Suncoast by the hurricane season in ’21,” one of the primary aims of the extension.”

Four lanes to the Suncoast Parkway would be completed the following year, he said.

“Four lanes to Sunlake (Boulevard) is part of the development agreement between us and Len/Angeline, and Moffitt plays a role,” Biles said.

The four lanes to U.S. 41 are expected to be finished in late 2025, completing the project, he added.

Biles told commissioners: “I would not go out there and tell people we are going to get all of the way to (U.S.) 41 in ’22 or ’23. I think ’25 is a backstop, and if it happens earlier, great, but ’25 is a backstop.”

But, Commissioner Jack Mariano observed: “I think if the folks over at Connerton, if they want to see that connection, they may try to work an agreement with us to help fund it, to get it there quicker.”

Biles responded: “It’s always possible.”

Published January 15, 2020

Old Pasco Road restructure to enhance safety

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Construction is underway to reconstruct Old Pasco Road’s intersections with Quail Hollow Boulevard, Oakley Boulevard and Boom Boom Drive, in Wesley Chapel.

The improvements are in response to a route study that concluded upgrades are needed to improve safety and increase traffic capacity.

Old Pasco Road is undergoing reconfigurations at its intersections with Quail Hollow Boulevard, Oakley Boulevard and Boom Boom Drive. The construction aims to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion. (Brian Fernandes)

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore said he has heard concerns from motorists who travel on Old Pasco Road.

And Moore, whose District 2 includes the intersections in question, said he, too, has witnessed a need for improvements.

“Just driving that intersection myself, throughout the years, you could tell there was obviously a need,” he said. “There was safety issues – how it was configured.”

Moore also noted that this project will alleviate school traffic for buses heading to and from Cypress Creek Middle-High School.

The campus will have even more students in the fall, when the new middle school opens — creating additional capacity for both middle and high school students at the Old Pasco Road complex.

As part of the $3 million road construction project:

  • Two northbound left-turn lanes will be added on Old Pasco Road, leading onto Quail Hollow Boulevard
  • A northbound right-turn lane will be added on Old Pasco Road, leading onto Oakley Boulevard
  • Going south on Old Pasco Road, there will be a right-turn lane added, leading onto Quail Hollow Boulevard
  • The existing left-turn lane on southbound Old Pasco Road will be extended, leading onto Oakley Boulevard
  • Heading west on Oakley Boulevard, a right-turn lane will be added, leading onto Old Pasco Road
  • Heading west on Oakley Boulevard, its existing left-turn lane will be extended, leading onto Old Pasco Road
  • Old Pasco Road, heading north, will have an added left-turn lane, leading onto Boom Boom Drive
  • Old Pasco Road, heading south, will have an added right-turn lane, leading onto Boom Boom Drive
  • The traffic light at Old Pasco Road and Quail Hollow Boulevard will be reconstructed
  • The traffic light at Old Pasco Road and Oakley Boulevard will be reconstructed

“I know the citizens will be very happy,” Moore said. “The ones I’ve talked to are ecstatic that this is moving forward and coming to fruition.”

There are no expected lane closures or detours during construction.

The project is scheduled to be completed in Winter 2020.

Published January 15, 2020

Pasco’s economy is on a roll

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Single-family permitting was up 21% in Pasco County in 2019, compared to the previous year — and for the first time, the county’s single-family residential average permit value topped $300,000.

Those were among the statistics that County Administrator Dan Biles shared with the Pasco County Commission during its Jan. 7 meeting.

A Cardel Homes home is being built on Tour Trace, in Bexley, a subdivision in Land O’ Lakes. (Christine Holtzman)

“As you know, there’s typically a two-year lag between when something gets a permit to when it hits the tax rolls. But, this gives us an idea that the builder community thinks the economy is still heading in the right way because they are still pulling a tremendous amount of permits, from a new single-family home construction perspective,” Biles said.

The increase in the average permit value also demonstrates that “not only are we building more, but we’re building at a higher value,” the administrator added.

Biles said the statistics indicate “the builders are thinking the economy is still going to be strong through the next 12 to 18 months. Otherwise, they would start pulling back.”

Biles also noted that commercial activity is up, too, with a 7% increase, according to county figures.

The total number of permits issued in 2019 was nearly 52,000. A lot of those permits were for remodels, changing out water heaters, air conditioners and so forth, Biles said.

Overall, the total value of new construction in the county topped $1.6 billion last year, the administrator said.

That figure, he said, indicates “tremendous confidence in the economy, not just from the builders but from the people doing renovations, repairs and remodels in their own homes and their commercial buildings.”

Pasco economy:

Single-family residential permits
2019: 4,335
2018: 3,586
2017: 3,527
2017: 2,732
2015: 1,979
2014: 1,809

New commercial permits
2019: 498
2018: 464
2017: 350
2016: 333
2015: 447

Total permits issued
2019: 51,902
2018: 49,517
2017: 45,391
2016: 39,776

Total permit value of new construction
2019: $1.6 billion
2018: Around $1.4 billion
2017: Around $1.4 billion
2016: Around $1 billion
2015: $600,000

Source: Pasco County

Published January 15, 2020

Pasco adopts new standards for mini-warehouses

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After months of research and outreach, Pasco County has developed new regulations relating to the placement and design of mini-warehouse and self-storage units.

The Pasco County Commission adopted the ordinance regulating these types of facilities in December.

In crafting its regulations, county planners considered standards in Dade City, St. Petersburg and Miami, as well as in Portland, Oregon; Beaufort, South Carolina; and New York, New York, according to a county agenda memo.

Pasco County has adopted new land use regulations regarding the placement and design for mini-warehouse and self-storage units. (File)

Planners also gathered input from a commercial development visual preference survey and from stakeholders.

In general, the ordinance seeks to preserve and enhance “the visual and functional characteristics of specific corridors through building location and building form.” It also seeks to enhance aesthetic quality, value and livability through “effective community-design standards, codes, programs and practices.”

Planners produced the proposed regulations at the request of the Pasco County Commission, after members of the board raised concerns about the proliferation of mini-warehouse and self-storage developments, particularly along the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor.

Mike Moore, now the commission’s chairman, repeatedly voiced concerns about mini-warehouses occupying land that he thinks would be better used for businesses that generate jobs.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey expressed similar concerns.

The county’s planning staff has estimated that mini-warehouse facilities typically consume about 5 acres of land, and produce, on average, about five jobs.

The county also imposed a temporary moratorium on new requests for mini-warehouses and self-storage units while the new regulations were being drafted.

Though the issue was contentious at times, no one spoke during the public comment portion of the ordinance adoption hearing on Dec. 10. Commissioners approved the ordinance unanimously.

Published January 15, 2020

Explore the ways of The West

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The West isn’t nearly as far away as you think.

Spend a few hours in St. Petersburg, at The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art and you’ll feel like you’ve landed in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and other western lands.

‘An Honest Day’s Work,’ by Fred Fellows, depicts a man who makes his living in the American West, where the work ethic still exists. (Courtesy of the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art)

You’ll see paintings, life-size sculptures, sketches, jewelry, photographs and etchings depicting Native Americans, cowboys – and cowgirls. You’ll see vast, sultry landscapes, stampeding horses, and life as it was, and still is, in the West.

You’ll see wildlife art, too, in a museum building that is artistic itself, with mesa-like sandstone walls inside and out evoking the western landscapes. No one would guess that the building was once a plain-Jane parking garage.

Featuring 350 artworks and 100 pieces of jewelry, the permanent collection is one of the largest of its kind on exhibit in the country – in and beyond the American West.

Museum cofounders and sole supporters, Tom and Mary James, fell in love with Western art and began collecting 50 years ago. The art in the museum is just a sampling of their 3,000 pieces.

An exterior view of the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg.

For years, some of their art was exhibited at Raymond James Financial headquarters in St. Petersburg, where Tom James, a St. Petersburg native, served as CEO for 40 years and is now chairman emeritus.

Now, the art is available for all to see in the 84,000-square-foot museum that opened in April, 2018, thanks to the James’s’ $75-million initial investment.

On the first floor, guests are greeted by larger-than-life sculptures. “Honeymoon at Crow Fair” features a newlywed Crow couple riding a horse in front of a two-story waterfall, the groom clutching a parasol. John Coleman, one of the museum’s stars, created it and other sculptures on the second floor.

Nearby, a Native American warrior sculpture by Dave McGary wears a bear headdress and a bear claw necklace, and wields a feathered shield.

A staircase leads to a second floor of more art of western peoples, landscapes, frontier life and a world of natural beauty. Visitors are lured up the stairs by a bronze sculpture called “The Wild’’ of frontiersmen Kit Carson and John Fremont riding a canoe through roiling waves.

This museum favorite, a neo-surrealistic painting by Paul Pletka, is called ‘Red Talkers.’ It depicts Cheyenne men taking part in their Bull Society Dance.

Vast galleries feature paintings by the famous Taos Society of Artists — Ernest Blumenschein and others — who painted in the New Mexico town from 1915 to 1927.

There is priceless art by Charles Russell and Frederic Remington; Native American pottery, paintings and sculptures; contemporary Western paintings, and so much more.

Wooden benches allow visitors to sit quietly to contemplate the artworks and dream of another time, another place.

A museum favorite, a neo-surrealistic painting by Paul Pletka called “Red Talkers,” depicts Cheyenne men taking part in their Bull Society Dance. Some are painted with red and white stripes, their hands way larger than normal. One man clutches an American flag, while another’s stomach transforms into a swarm of bees swirling around a honeycomb.

This Butterfly Squash Blossom necklace, by Navajo designer Ernest Benally, is among 100 pieces of jewelry on display at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg.

A glass, octagonal room called The Jewel Box features Mary James’ Native American concho belts, rings, necklaces and bracelets. Some of the pieces are old, but most were created by living artists.

Another gallery is filled with wildlife paintings and sculptures of animals from around the world.

There’s a gallery for temporary exhibits, too.

A current exhibit showcases copper plate etchings by Santa Clara Pueblo artist Helen Hardin, which will be featured through March 1; and, a coming attraction features Blake Little’s photos of the gay rodeo circuit from 1988 to 1992, which will be on display from March 28 to June 20.

The museum also has a gift shop selling books, jewelry and other items. The Canyon Cafe, dazzling with an 1880s bar from San Francisco, offers a menu featuring a Bill Cody’s club wrap, a Hatch Chile cheeseburger and Red Rock donut bread pudding, among other Western-themed items.

Admission includes free, 45-minute tours. The “Highlights of the Collection” tour is offered Tuesday through Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The “Silver & Bold: The Art of Native American Jewelry” tour is Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m. To reserve a slot, get free tickets at the admission desk or gift shop on the day of your visit.

Group tours also are available, and a large events space can be rented for weddings, holiday parties, board meetings, conferences and other gatherings.

The museum also offers programs and events, such as live music, cooking classes, art talks, a book club, movies, kids’ playdates, sketch groups, art workshops — all described on the museum’s website.

A founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, Joseph Henry Sharp specialized in portraits of Indians and larger paintings of Indian life.

Museum memberships offer all sorts of special rewards, too.

The biggest reward of all, though, is being able to see some of the best of The West, slightly more than an arrow shot away from Tampa Bay.

Tips for the Trip
The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art is at 150 Central Ave., in downtown St. Petersburg.

Parking is on Levels 3 and 4 of the South Core Parking Garage at 101 First Ave., S. The first hour is free and the charge is $1 an hour after that.

Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Tuesdays, when the hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Admission is $10 on Tuesdays. Other days, it is $20 for general admission; $15 for seniors over 65, military and students; and, $10 for those ages 7 to 18. Admission is free for children age 6 and younger.

Tickets can be purchased online at TheJamesMuseum.org.

To contact the museum, call (727) 892-4200, or email .

By Karen Haymon Long

Published January 15, 2020

Continuing to make strides against human trafficking

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Pasco County has made strides in combating human trafficking, but statistics continue to paint a sobering picture about the prevalence of the problem.

Some of those statistics were reported during the Pasco County Commission’s Jan. 7 meeting, where commissioners praised local efforts that are being made to battle the problem, and passed a resolution declaring January as National Slavery and Human Traffic Prevention Month, to cast a spotlight on the issue. Commissioners also declared Jan. 11 as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Liana Dean, chair of the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking, thanked commissioners for their support.

“Human trafficking continues to be an ongoing problem, both in the state of Florida and here in Pasco County,” Dean said. “In 2018, Florida again ranked third in the nation in the number of cases of human trafficking.”

Dean gave commissioners an overview of what the human trafficking commission has been doing in its attempt to take aim at the problem.

“We have continued with our efforts to educate and make the community aware. We have trained over 10,000 people in Pasco County and across the state on the issue. We’ve spoken at forums across the state, most recently at the Human Trafficking Summit in Orlando.

“We also have reached more than 1.5 million people with our marketing and advertising campaign.

“We led the state in terms of getting human trafficking curriculum into schools, for which I would like to thank our superintendent for his partnership in that effort,” she said.

Pasco County was a year ahead of the state in getting curriculum about the problem into its public schools.

“We are also working ahead in addressing the Super Bowl, that will be in Tampa in 2021,” Dean said. “So, we will be launching several campaigns around educating the public about that, and preventing trafficking from happening here in Pasco County, and partnering with other trafficking task forces in the area, and also supporting law enforcement efforts to arrest traffickers and buyers of sex trafficking here in the area.”

County Commissioner Ron Oakley praised the human trafficking commission’s efforts.

“I’m telling you, they’ve been nationally acclaimed for all of the good work that they’ve done,” Oakley said. “I think they have people who want to copy us because they’ve done such a good job, as the Human Trafficking Commission, here in Pasco County.”

Published January 15, 2020

Pigz in Z’Hills to celebrate its 10th year

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The largest event in Zephyrhills is gearing up for its 10th anniversary — with a few more fixins’.

The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce’s annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest is set for Jan. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Zephyrhills Community Venue, 5200 Airport Road, Zephyrhills.

Admission is free, but parking is $10.

The annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Festival returns on Jan. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There also will be a special Friday night event, to celebrate the festival’s 10th anniversary. (File)

To kick off its 10th year, festivities have been added for a special Friday celebration on Jan. 17 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. It will include a steak cookoff and kid’s grilling competition sanctioned by the Steak Cookoff Association, as well as a second-day cornhole tournament, “People’s Choice” dessert contest, and a local band showcase featuring Hired Gun, The Groovediggers, Time Travelers, and Jase Randall Band.

“We just wanted Friday night to be a local celebration where people could come relax and have a good time,” said Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce Executor Director Melonie Monson, who’s organizing Pigz in Z’Hills.

As usual, Saturday’s main event is the Florida BBQ Association-approved barbecue competition, with 60 competition teams, both professional and backyard, vying for top honors and trophies in four standard categories: chicken, pork, brisket and ribs. Professional teams have the added incentive of potentially winning $10,000 in prize money.

While attendees munch on barbecue, live blues music will be going all day long, with a lineup headlined by Sean Chambers, along with the Chris Walker Band, Chuck Riley’s All-Star Band, and Sauce Boss.

There will be plenty of other entertainment on hand, too.

A business expo also will be featured, and there’s the return of a two-team, double-elimination cornhole tournament with a chance to win a cash prize and a trophy.

Car enthusiasts are welcome to participate in the car show, or to simply check out the motorcycles and vehicles on display.

Visitors also can get a free tour of the Zephyrhills Military History Museum, and take a look at refurbished wartime planes and other unique memorabilia.

The barbecue festival is the largest event in Zephyrhills. Last year’s drew a record crowd of 13,500.

Youths can get in on the fun in the Kidz Zone, which will have face painting, arts and crafts, and games.

Last year’s festival marked its largest showing ever — with over 13,500 attendees. The figure represents how far the event has come in a decade, when it drew about 2,500 patrons in its first year back in 2011.

Monson feels the event’s success lies in the community involvement and the 200-plus volunteers who come together to help out, to ensure everyone has a good time.

The event also serves as a large fundraiser for scholarships, youth leadership programs and children’s charities.

The chamber director put it like this: “When people come, they have a positive experience, so they’re telling others. We have a real strong motto that we want everyone to be happy. We want everybody to feel like, ‘This is exactly what our town represents.’”

Over the years, Pigz in Z’Hills has distinguished itself to be a qualifier for three prestigious championship contests:  Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational in Lynchburg, Tennessee, long considered the Super Bowl of barbecue contests; American Royal World Series of BBQ in Kansas City, the world’s largest and oldest barbecue contest; and, the Sonny’s Smokin’ Showdown Invitational in Orlando.

Many of the competitive teams coming to Zephyrhills are professionals who travel to barbecue events all over the United States.

Zephyrhills resident and business owner Randy Light, of Puroclean Cooking Team, outlined what all it takes to ensure a strong showing in the barbecue contest, during a recent Zephyrhills Chamber breakfast meeting.

He explained cooking teams begin prepping at least a week before the contest, deciding which types and cuts of meats to purchase, and testing out different sauces and seasonings.

Light noted the chicken category takes the longest to prep, compared to other meats, as there’s a lengthy process of trimming, weighing, brining, injecting and so on.

“Chicken’s one of the hardest things to do,” he said. “You don’t just take it out and grill it.”

Light added a lot of thought also goes into which types of barbecue sauce to use for each judge that will appeal to the competition’s 75 judges. Because some judges might prefer hot sauce, while other prefer sweet, he said his team tries to find a “happy medium sauce.”

Light acknowledged the entire process takes much time and effort, and he enjoys every bit of the experience.

“We have a lot of fun cooking for the community. It’s awesome,” Light said.

For more information, visit ZephyrhillsChamber.org, call (813) 782-1913, or visit the Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Facebook Page.

Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Festival
Where: Zephyrhills Community Venue, 5200 Airport Road, Zephyrhills
When: Jan. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: Free admission; $10 for parking
Details: Guests can enjoy smoked barbecued foods right off the grill, listen to blues bands, play cornhole, and check out car and aviation shows.
Info: Call (813) 782-1913, or visit ZephyrhillsChamber.org.

Published January 15, 2020

State senator offers helping hand for seniors

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When Jemith Rosa approached State Sen. Wilton Simpson seeking some assistance for a project to help senior citizens, she came away with more than she expected.

Rosa went to Simpson to see if he could help her with her quest for a new, and larger senior center in Dade City.

Simpson, of Trilby, responded to her request by donating 1.7 acres, behind the existing center in downtown Dade City.

Jemith Rosa, left, is joined by State Sen. Wilton Simpson; Dr. Rao Musunuru, CARES board member; and, Lauran Simpson Monbarren. (Courtesy of Melissa Kehler/Community Aging & Retirement Services)

Rosa, who is president and CEO of Community Aging & Retirement Services Inc., couldn’t believe Simpson’s response.

“He looked me straight in my eyes and he said, ‘Jemith, believe it or not, I can make that wish come true immediately.’

“Everything happened in like 30 seconds,” Rosa recounted.

Simpson is a Republican representing District 10, which includes Citrus and Hernando counties, and portions of Pasco County.

A new “One Stop” senior services center is needed because the current facility is too small, Rosa said. The donation of Simpson’s land helps further CARES’ pursuit of a larger facility, Rosa said.

“In East Pasco alone, we have over 600 people waiting for those services,” Rosa said.

CARES is a nonprofit organization, established in 1973, to serve seniors.

It provides senior citizens with activities to stay productive. It also provides physical and occupational therapy, and meals.

The center provides support to caregivers by giving them a place where they can bring their loved ones and know they’ll be in a “secure, beautiful, positive environment,” Rosa said. That gives caregivers a break, so they can take care of themselves, she explained.

CARES’ staff also provides some in-home services as well, which consist of housekeeping, personal care and meal preparation.

And, it provides those seniors with their own emergency response necklace to use in situations such as a fall.

To offer all these services, the organization relies on federal and state grants.

And now, it is trying to raise the money needed to build on the site that Simpson donated.

Rosa envisions a 6,000-square-foot facility to better serve a large number of seniors.

The new building would consist of a resource center where seniors can receive information on how to remain independent.

Rosa hopes the center would have multiple rooms to offer activities and seminars on healthy living. She’d also like to have a case management team available at the center.

Aside from government funding, Rosa said another possible source of support could be a fundraiser.

She also is pursuing a partnership with Pasco County Senior Services to provide adequate dining.

So far, there’s no anticipated date for building the new senior center, but Rosa said Simpson’s donation brings the project a giant step closer to becoming a reality.

“We at CARES, we are so grateful to Senator Simpson, that he has done this for us,” Rosa said.

Published January 15, 2020

Mobile food pantry to help feed families

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The Circle of Veterans and Families Inc. (COV), in coordination with Paddling for Veterans and in partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay, will provide a mobile food pantry for veterans, community members and children, in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

The pantry will be open on Jan. 18 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., or until supplies are exhausted, at the Lewis Abraham Boys and Girls Club, 38724 Mudcat Grant Blvd., in Dade City.

The event will feature seven pallets to nine pallets of food, averaging 5,000 pounds to 7,000 pounds of a variety of fresh produce, meat, dry goods, and bread and bakery items. This amount of food typically feeds 250 to 300 families.

For information, contact Tice Ridley at (773) 859-9006 or .

For those interested in COV, this 501c3 charitable organization is located at The Circle of Veterans Ranch and Rehabilitation Center, a 10-acre ranch in Dade City/Lacoochee, in Pasco County.

The ranch creates a transition space for education, relaxing, rejuvenating, and most of all connecting. It provides transitional housing for eight male veterans at a time, but its doors are open to other veterans to come and socialize at any time.

It provides alternative therapies, too, including equine and animal therapy, that do not require the veteran to relive a traumatic experience.

Published January 15, 2020

Scouts’ food campaign aims to impact hunger

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Powered by thousands of boys and girls in local Boy Scouts of America groups across West Central Florida, an initiative called Scouting for Food is seeking to collect a record-setting amount of food to fight hunger.

Boy Scouts from the Tampa Bay Area Council visit One Buc Place for a photo op with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ mascot, Captain Fear, to promote the Scouting for Food campaign. (Courtesy of the Boy Scouts of America, Greater Tampa Bay Area Council)

Scouts ages 5 to 17 will go door-to-door on Jan. 25 in their neighborhoods to attach door hangers with program information, then return to collect nonperishable food donations left on front porches one week later, on Feb. 1.

Scouting for Food will take place on the weekends leading up to the Super Bowl, as the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council—the region’s branch of the Boy Scouts of America—is joining more than 4,000 participating groups in the Souper Bowl of Caring, a nonprofit organization that collected more than 4.5 million pounds of food in 2019.

Boy Scouts of America is a program that teaches young men and women values, leadership, adventure and, most importantly, how to lend a helping hand and assist those in need.

“Serving others is at the heart of what Scouting is all about,” said Scouting for Food event chair Melissa Snively, in a release.

“In Florida alone, more than 850,000 children struggle with hunger. Our Scouts will be energized knowing they are helping other young people,” Snively added.

More than 15,000 Scouts are members of the local branch of Boy Scouts of America, the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council. The council and its Scouting for Food effort covers nine counties, including Hillsborough and Pasco.

Food collected in Pasco County will be benefit the food banks of Helping Hands Choice Food Pantry (Wesley Chapel), St. Vincent De Paul (Land O’ Lakes) and Metropolitan Ministries (Holiday).

To stay up to date on the progress of the food campaign, visit TampaBayScouting.org, or follow Scouting for Food on Facebook.

Published January 15, 2020