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Christian Social Services

Elks Lodge opens drive-thru food pantry

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What Donna Moyer misses most is the children filing into the cafeteria, laughing, playing and sitting down to enjoy lunch.

“We have a big party,” said Moyer, past Exalted Ruler at the Elks Lodge 2731, in Zephyrhills. “It’s a big deal. This year with all this extra nonsense, we can’t.”

COVID-19 upended the typical Feed the Kids Program, a free summer lunch and literacy program.

A young girl wrote a handmade thank you card to the volunteers who distribute free lunches at the Elks Lodge. (Courtesy of Donna Moyer)

This year, Moyer, and 10 to 15 volunteers, wave to children in the backseat of cars as their parents pull into a drive-thru food pantry organized at the lodge, at 6851 Wire Road.

Five days a week from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the volunteers hand out about 100 free lunches prepared daily at Zephyrhills’ restaurant, Tubby’s Q and Smokehouse.

The restaurant is the first participant in Operation Feed Pasco, a collaboration between the Pasco County Commission, United Way of Pasco County, Thomas Promise Foundation and the Elks Lodge.

The initiative has a dual purpose: To bolster area food pantries and help restaurants that took a financial loss from the COVID-19 shutdown.

A nonprofit, Harper Valley Son’s Food Pantry based in Wesley Chapel, is independently providing boxes of vegetables, pre-cooked meat, fruit and milk to parents who come to the Elks Lodge.

Joe Simmons, left, executive director of the Thomas Promise Foundation, and Robert ‘Cowboy’ Harper, founder of Harper Valley Son’s Food Pantry, discuss food distribution standing beside a food truck Harper drove to the Elks Lodge. (Kathy Steele)

On Wednesdays, the Elks Lodge also gives out bags filled with craft activities and books to boost reading skills.

On Fridays, Thomas Promise provides meals to carry families through the weekend.

Thomas Promise’s mission is to feed hungry children in Pasco. It typically serves 1,600 students in more than 25 schools, but this year the need is greater because of COVID-19.

The nonprofit is a longtime supporter of the Elks Lodge, so coming together for Operation Feeding Pasco was a natural fit.

“I immediately thought of Elks Lodge because that’s exactly what we do,” said Joe Simmons, executive director of Thomas Promise.

When Moyer realized the Elks Lodge members had to reinvent an on-site program now in its sixth year, she stayed up nights wondering if they could pull it off.

But, Moyer said, “We just kind of got it all together.”

The Elks Lodge is one of many nonprofits and food banks that is helping families that are struggling to pay bills, put food on the table and stay safe during the pandemic.

Even as businesses begin to reopen in Florida, and more people are venturing out to shops and restaurants — a great need for help continues.

Before COVID-19, Feeding Tampa Bay distributed food in its 10-county region to about 600,000 “food insecure” individuals. Since the shutdown, that number has more than doubled, to about 1.3 million.

“The need is continuing to climb,” said Shannon Hannon Oliviero, external affairs officer for Feeding Tampa Bay.

Volunteers Harriett Hinton, left, and Ilene Nutting put together craft bags. Nutting, a former day care worker, organizes the giveaway for the Elks Lodge. (Kathy Steele)

The nonprofit began opening drive-thru food banks, known as “mega-pantries,” in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Polk and Pasco counties.

One mega-pantry now operates at Pasco High School in Dade City.

Volunteers with Make a Difference, a nonprofit in Dade City, distribute food supplied by Feeding Tampa Bay every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at 36850 State Road 52 in Dade City.

Oliviero said an early survey completed after the shutdown revealed about 70% of those coming to food banks were doing so for the first time in their lives.

Many had either lost their jobs or are on furlough, she said.

She said the help will continue.

“We’re going to be here for as long as needed. That’s what we’re here for,” Oliviero said.

About 700 food bags were given away at the first drive-thru at Pasco High, said Larry Guilford, founder of Make a Difference.

“One woman cried while driving through,” he said. “That’s when we know we’re doing the right thing. That’s telling us it’s needed.”

Volunteers bagged up lunch meals prepared by Tubby Q’s and Smokehouse, a Zephyrhills restaurant participating in Operation Feed Pasco. (Kathy Steele)

The same community spirit abounds at the Elks Lodge. Volunteers arrive around 7:30 a.m. Duties include bagging the days’ meals, snacks and crafts. On some days they also prepare frozen meals, such as pancakes and sausage, meat subs and spaghetti. Those are kept in the freezers for use as needed, said Moyer.

On average about 100 meals are distributed for the summer program, but on one recent day about 150 meals were handed out, she said.

“Thank you,” is the phrase of the day, as parents and children accept the food bags.

“It’s an amazing resource,” said Kimberly Mahon, who drove through with her children, ages 3 and 7.

Brad Odell, a Wesley Chapel High School teacher, drove through with his family — but also took home food packages for neighbors unable to leave their home.

“It helps me,” he said, adding, “but I have neighbors that are elderly, and a woman with five children. I try to help out as many people as possible. It makes me feel good.”

Area food banks/pantries
Here is a partial list of food banks operating in Pasco. (Please call ahead to be sure the pantry is open and to find out its hours of operation):

Food Pantry at Emmanuel Ministries
12639 Candlewood Drive, Dade City
For information on hours, call (813) 713-0305.

Farmworker’s Self-Help
37240 Lock St., Dade City
Provides fresh fruit, meats, dairy and more
For information, call (352) 567-1432.

Neighborhood Care Center
5140 Sixth St., Zephyrhills
This nonregional, nonprofit offers free groceries and hot meals
For information, call (813) 780-6822.

Life Community Center
6542 Applewood St., Wesley Chapel
For information, call (813) 994-0685.

Christian Social Services
5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
For information, call (813) 995-0088.

Suncoast Harvest Food Bank
5829 Ehren Cutoff Road, Land O’ Lakes
Open third Saturday of the month
For information, call (813) 929-0200.

St. Vincent De Paul
Serves various locations in Pasco
For information, call the district office at (727) 868-8160.

Father and Son Love Ministries
21418 Carson Drive, Land O’ Lakes
Operates a food pantry on Tuesdays, from noon to 2 p.m.; Fridays, from noon to 3 p.m.; and on Sundays, starting at 12:30 p.m.
For information, call (813) 383-8410.

Helping Hands, a food pantry at Atonement Lutheran Church
29617 State Road 54, Wesley Chapel
Call (813) 756-8866 to find out when it is open.

Daystar Hope Center
15512 U.S. 301, Dade City
Call (352) 523-0844 to find out when it is open.

Published June 17, 2020

Charities hit hard

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It was a gorgeous day on March 7, as patrons streamed into the annual Fabulous Flea Market  hosted by the GFWC Lutz Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, at the Old Lutz School.

Crowds were lined up on both sides of the school, on U.S. 41, waiting for the sale to start.

Elaine Pittman, affectionately known as “The Plant Lady,” said she sold more plants in a single day than on all but one other day during numerous years she’s sold plants at the market.

Woman’s Club member Elaine Pittman, also known as The Plant Lady, sells plants that she’s nurtured, to raise money to support Christian Social Services, which has a thrift store and food pantry. (B.C. Manion)

But, her plans to sell additional plants at the Spring Market, hosted by Citizens for the Old Lutz School, were dashed when the event was canceled because of concerns about the potential spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

Like a switch had been flipped, cancellations started happening all over.

The Taste of North Tampa Bay, The Land O’ Lakes Music Festival, The Jelly Bean Fling and numerous other events have been called off.

In the words of Pat Serio, who sits on the board of directors for the GFWC Lutz Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club: “Everything has completely shut down.

“I’m co-editor of the newsletter, and we cancelled our newsletter because frankly we had nothing to report because all of our calendar events for the next month would have to be listed as TBD (to be determined).”

Besides erasing opportunities for family fun and giving vendors a chance to make money — the cancellations have ripple effects.

Proceeds from Pittman’s plant sales, for instance, help to support Christian Social Services. That organization operates a food pantry within its thrift store, at 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

The GFWC Lutz Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club and scores of other civic groups rely on fundraising efforts to help others. The woman’s club supports roughly 100 local organizations and charitable causes, Serio said.

The Spring Market and Fall Market are the fundraisers held each year to support upkeep of the Old Lutz School, said Stephanie Ensor, a member of Citizens for the Old Lutz School Building.

Besides raising money, the events help acquaint the community with the local historic landmark where generations of Lutz residents went to school.

Thirty-eight vendors had signed for the market. Proceeds from the event were intended to help pay for needed repairs because of termite damage.

Doors need to be replaced, Ensor said.

“The windows are rotting,” she added. “They are so expensive, we can only replace a couple at a time.”

Food pantries are feeling the pinch, too.

Robin Granger, of Life Church in Wesley Chapel, operates a food pantry and a weekly community lunch.

“The problem is, the stores that we get donations from, they don’t have very much,” Granger said.

“Typically, we pick up food from Costco three days a week and we have not gotten hardly anything at all,” she said.

Meanwhile, she said, “I know that folks that are under-resourced are really struggling.

“We did an emergency box for a single mom a couple of days ago. She worked at one of the local restaurants as a server, but they cut her hours. When they cut her hours, she was trying to get back on food stamps, but that’s a process. Meantime, she doesn’t have enough food for her kids,” Granger said.

“We’re a little concerned about having enough food for all of the folks that we serve.

“During this whole week, we’ve had emergency boxes of food going out.”

Concerns about the economic and health crisis prompted by COVID-19 are stressing people out, Granger said.

“There tends to be a lot of folks who are a little bit scared.

“I lead the single moms group at the church. Being a single mom and not having income is really, really frightening,” Granger said.

Published April 1, 2020

Treasure-seekers may discover hidden gems at Lutz Flea Market

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Elaine Pittman is looking forward to the annual flea market at the Old Lutz School.

She’s a staple at the annual event, hosted by the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club.

With her handy magnifying glass, Roseanne Lange carefully analyzes donated jewelry items before deciding a price for them. Lange is one of the volunteers from the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club getting ready for the annual flea market, which will be March 1 and March 2 this year. (Brian Fernandes)

Nicknamed the ‘Plant Lady,’ Pittman will have her signature booth displaying an array of plants and flowers outside.

“Plants have always been my hobby,” the 87-year-old explained. “I had my first garden bed when I was about 11 years old living on Long Island.”

Over the years, she has sold African violets, Christmas cactus, amaryllis and kalanchoes plants of different sorts.

Not far from Pittman’s booth will be the woman’s club ‘juniorettes.’

The teenage girls will be selling baked goods to satisfy hungry patrons.

Rooms throughout the school have been stocked with various goods. Each room has its own theme.

One room displays racks of clothes organized by size, while others offer jewelry,

chinaware and electronic appliances, among others.

Outside, there will be tents showcasing furniture, handbags, shoes, toys and seasonal decors.

Pat Serio, another club member, said “you can’t beat our prices.”

Plus, she noted: “Everything is carefully cleaned, organized and well-priced.”

The club is still accepting donations to help raise money to benefit the woman’s club scholarship program and other local causes. The money that Pittman raises through plant sales is used to benefit Christian Social Services, which, among other things, helps feed the hungry.

Donors who have items they’d like to contribute to the flea market are welcome to drop off items at the school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. February 27 is the last day to drop off donations.

This year’s flea market will be March 1 and March 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Admission and parking will be free to the public.

For additional information, call Annette Bellingar at (813) 482-8183.

Flea Market
Where: Old Lutz School, 18819 U.S. 41, Lutz
When: March 1 and March 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost: Free
Details: The Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club will sell clothes, furniture, kitchen appliances, toys, dishes and other items. Baked goods and drinks will also be available.
Info: Call Annette Bellingar at (813) 482-8183.

Published February 20, 2019

Local Boy Scouts and their parents help food pantry

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A group of men and women gathered recently at Harvester United Methodist Church, off Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, to lug bags and boxes of food from a room in the church to their SUVs and mini-vans in the church parking lot.

Megan Backhus, a sister of a scout, Kenneth Huffman, a Cub Scout with Pack 323 and Boy Scouts from Troop 707 Nikolaus Lappe, Jared Backhus, Owen Lowry, Sawyer Spiegel, Iain Lappe and Lawrence Huffman helped collect food during a recent food drive at Publix. (Courtesy of Boy Scout Troop 707)

They made numerous trips carrying all sorts of items, including potato chips, granola bars, Goldfish, pasta, Little Bites, pudding cups, bottled water, Gatorade, and canned fruits and vegetables, among other things.

The adult volunteers chatted and laughed, as they worked.

There was so much stuff that they found themselves putting down seats to make more room in their vehicles.

Ultimately there were enough groceries to fill five cars.

They never expected such a bounty from the two-day food collection campaign conducted by Boy Scout Troop 707, of Land O’ Lakes.

“We were flabbergasted,” said Kay Svendgard, a mom volunteer with the troop.

Jacquie Petet, executive director of Christian Social Services in Land O’ Lakes, was all smiles when the crew of adult volunteers for Boy Scout Troop 707 showed up with five vehicles full of food. (B.C. Manion)

The boys stood outside the Publix store at the Shoppes at New Tampa, off of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. They collected donations on a Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and a Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Others helped, including siblings of the scouts, their parents and some members of Cub Scout Pack 323, which feeds into Boy Scout Troop 707.

As shoppers walked into the store, the volunteers would hand them a Publix flyer and tell them they were collecting food for Christian Social Services, which has a food pantry in Land O’ Lakes, Svendgard said.

“They would point out some of the Buy One, Get One Free, and would ask them, if they would like to come out and give us food,” she added.

During the first shift alone, there was enough food donated to fill the back of a truck, Svendgard said.

Kay Svengard fills a grocery cart with some of the goods collected by Boy Scout Troop 707 in a food drive for Christian Social Services.

“I was like ‘Holy Moly, that’s unbelievable.’,” she added. “Every shift, we had the same result. Not only food, but cash donations.”

Troop 707 does a variety of community service projects each year, including the most recent food drive.

“One of the things that the boys learn from scouting is that you need to give back to your community,” Svendgard said.

“The church itself does not have a food pantry,” she added, so it supports Christian Social Services, which does help the hungry.

Troop 707 — which by the way signifies LOL (Land O’ Lakes) flipped upside down — is made up of 36 boys.

Christian Social Services has a good supply of food to help people in need because of generous holiday donations, said Jacquie Petet, the organization’s executive director. Come summer, it will be very grateful for the additional donations brought by Boy Scout Troop 707, she said.

The troop gets a lot of support from parents, Svendgard said.  “We have a great group of adults that help make Troop 707 great,” she said.

Some of them showed up to help deliver the groceries to Christian Social Services.

Among them were Dan Backhus and Steve Koenig, who are both assistant scout masters.

The two men have a couple of other things in common, too. For one thing, both of them are Eagle Scouts. For another, their sons, who are now freshmen in high school, have been scouts together since first grade.

Doreen Perez, who also is active with the troop, and Mike Thors, a volunteer parent, were also on hand to help deliver the groceries.

“I did not expect this much,” Perez said, surveying the room inside the church that was piled with bags and bags of groceries.

Steve Koenig, himself an Eagle Scout, enjoys being involved with Boy Scout Troop 707. He is an assistant scout master.

She was pleased by the kindness of strangers.

“On the first shift, there was a woman who came in. She was so excited she went in and bought an entire cart full of vegetables,” Perez said.

Backhus, who works at that Publix, also was delighted by the community’s generosity.

“I was just super-impressed. It was so uplifting. Everybody — they were so nice,” Backhus said.

When the volunteers arrived with their cars full of food, Jacquie Petet, executive director of Christian Social Services, offered this response: “Holy Cow! We are blessed.”

The charitable organization has food left from its holiday donations, but knows that the supplies will dwindle.

“Come summer, we’ll be so grateful,” Petet said. “This is wonderful.”

Published February 14, 2018

2017 had it all: A sinkhole, Hurricane Irma, wildfires and floods

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But, it also was a year of significant growth, notable achievements and touching moments, too.

It’s not often that Land O’ Lakes makes the international news, but it did just that in July when a massive sinkhole swallowed two homes in Lake Padgett Estates.

This is an aerial view of a giant sinkhole that developed in Lake Padgett Estates, swallowing two homes and causing several others to be condemned. (File)

Then, just a few months later in September, the world’s attention turned to Florida as a potential category 5 Hurricane Irma appeared heading straight toward Tampa Bay.

The year also was marked by severe flooding and wildfires in Pasco County.

It also was a year for the changing of the guard, as Dan Biles was named Pasco County’s administrator to replace Michele Baker, who retired.

Scores of headlines during 2017 involved stories about the area’s congested roadways — and projects that are planned, underway or being discussed to improve traffic flow.

Major road projects that have begun or are planned include improvements to Interstate 75 and state roads 54 and 52. A four-lane extension of State Road 56, between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills, is also under construction.

With its sustained wind speeds of 185 mph, Hurricane Irma was deemed to be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the Atlantic. At one point, forecasters said it appeared headed toward making a direct hit on the Tampa Bay region.

Another improvement, known as the diverging diamond, is planned to improve traffic flow at I-75 and State Road 56.

And, discussions continue over the best ways to reduce congestion at U.S. 41 and State Road 54, an intersection that handles roughly 100,000 vehicles per day.

The county also appears to be making progress in its quest to secure a permit for the extension of Ridge Road, a project it has been seeking for nearly two decades. While the project can’t come soon enough for supporters, its detractors remain steadfast in their opposition.

Increasing traffic is a symptom of Pasco’s robust growth
Housing developments, retail projects, restaurants, businesses and medical facilities are sprouting up on land previously occupied by citrus groves, farms and cattle ranches.

New schools continue to pop up, or expand, too.

Zephyrhills now has a permanent venue for community events, such as the Z’ Hills BBQ & Blues Fest, a popular event, which features blues bands and tasty barbecue.

In August, Pasco County Schools opened Bexley Elementary, in the Bexley subdivision off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes and Cypress Creek Middle High School, off Old Pasco Road, in Wesley Chapel. In the coming year, it plans to begin construction of Cypress Creek Middle School.

Also, on the same campus, the school district and Pasco-Hernando State College plan to operate a new performing arts center. That center will be built by the college with $15.5 million in state funds, but both the school district and the college will use it as a teaching facility.

Meanwhile, the school district continues massive renovation projects at Land O’ Lakes High School and at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills.

More public school projects are expected, as funding for school construction gets a boost from increased school impacts fees adopted by the Pasco County Commission that will begin being phased in on Jan. 1.

On the private school front, North Tampa Christian Academy is expected to begin operations in Wesley Chapel in the fall of 2018.

Roy Hardy, of Dade City, who died this year, was known for his perfect Kiwanis attendance and his fish fry fundraisers for the Hardy Benevolent Fund to help cover medical costs for others in need.

And, a charter school also has announced its intentions to open in Wesley Chapel in 2019, but has not identified its location yet.

The year also signaled changes on the spiritual scene across the region, too.

Van Dyke Church in Lutz changed its name to Bay Hope and expanded the scope of its mission. North Pointe Church settled into its first permanent home in Lutz, and the Episcopal Church announced its intentions to branch into Wesley Chapel.

The region also added to its list of amenities during the past year.

In Wesley Chapel, the 150,000-square-foot Florida Hospital Center Ice opened in January, with its Olympic-size rink, three National Hockey League-size rinks and one junior rink. Several rinks can easily be converted to accommodate basketball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and events such as corporate meetings, and parties.

In Land O’ Lakes, the Heritage Park Stage opened, off of U.S. 41. The project, which was years in the making, has already become a popular gathering spot for community events.

Starkey Park District Park also opened in Land O’ Lakes, off State Road 54.

Meanwhile, across the county, Zephyrhills added a permanent venue for community events, such as Pigz in Z’Hills, a popular barbecue and blues event.

A time of milestones and transitions
While new construction made the news, 2017 was also a year of big milestones, including R.B. Cox Elementary School’s 90th birthday, in Dade City, and the Dade City Garden Club’s 70th anniversary.

Andre Pamplona, general manager for Royal Lanes, said the closing of a bowling alley has an impact on the community. Royal Lanes, which opened in the 1970s turned off the lights for the final time in May. Lots of memories were made in that building, known for its bowling leagues and birthday parties.

But, it was also the year that Royal Lanes, a community fixture in Lutz since the 1970s for bowling leagues and birthday parties, turned out the lights for the final time in May.

On a more personal level, the region mourned the loss of some of its biggest champions, including Eddie Herrmann of San Antonio, Roy T. Hardy of Dade City and Ray Mason of Land O’ Lakes. All three men were known for their deep commitment to civic causes.

Others — who captured headlines for their excellence — included Margaret Polk, the Odyssey of the Mind team from Wesley Chapel Elementary School, and Courtney Urban, a volunteer for Gulfside Hospice who received a national award for her volunteer work.

Polk, a school nurse at Pasco High School, was named the Florida Association of School Nurses’ 2017 School Nurse of the Year.

Elaine Pittman, a Lutz gardener in her 80s, grows plants and sells them to raise money for Christian Social Services. She chose that cause because it feeds people who are hungry.

Wesley Chapel Elementary School’s “Catch Us If You Can” team, finished first in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals held in May at Michigan State University. Members of the team were Jake Piller, Sam Cappelluti, Isabell Barrios, Mina Melaika, Rowan Heyman, Jason Sherman and Justin Acosta. Teachers Veronica Acosta and Janet Heyman coached the team.

And, Urban, who initially began volunteering at Gulfside’s Thrift Shoppe in Lutz so she could hang out with her grandmother, went on to serve the organization in a variety of roles.

And then, there were the people who simply extended themselves to help others.

There was Elaine Pittman, a Lutz gardener in her 80s, who nurtures plant cuttings to create plants, which she sells to raise money for Christian Social Services, an organization that provides food for people who are hungry.

And, there was Whitney C. Elmore, who oversees Pasco County Extension.

Elmore reached out to help Frogmore Fresh Farm, outside of Dade City, after Hurricane Irma uprooted and toppled about 100,000 blueberry bushes. Elmore got the ball rolling, but hundreds of volunteers responded — stepping forward to help the farm.

Two Boy Scouts also made a difference in the communities where they live.

Michael Valenti of Lutz and Gabe Vega of Land O’ Lakes each spearheaded Eagle Scout projects.

Cypress Creek Middle High School students make their way to their second class the first day of school on the new campus in Wesley Chapel. Bexley Elementary School also opened for the first time in August, for the 2017-2018 school year.

Valenti spruced up the Lutz Memorial Park in Lutz, and Vega created a Rosary Garden at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O’ Lakes.

And, then, there was a trio of Wesley Chapel Girl Scouts in Troop 1263 who gave new life to Karina’s Garden, behind the administrative offices of Sunrise of Pasco County, in their quest to earn a Girl Scout Silver Award.

The girls — Paige and Kaitlin Trabouley and Alyssa Duran — added flowers, plants, butterflies and statuary to create a place of repose and refreshment in the garden which honors the late Karina Abdul, a former shelter director.

The garden now provides a place to take a break and enjoy nature, according to Vicki Wiggins, director of development for Sunrise, which is a domestic and sexual violence prevention and services organization.

The garden had been choked with weeds and had fallen into disrepair.

The girls and the volunteers they enlisted changed all that.

“It’s beautiful. I’m so happy they did this. They brought it back to life,” Wiggins told The Laker/Lutz News, when the project was completed.

Published December 27, 2017

Lutz gardener cultivates generosity

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Eighty-five-year-old Elaine Pittman’s love affair with gardening began 7 1/2 decades ago.

“My father gave me my first piece of a garden on Long Island when I was about 9 years old.

Eighty-five-year-old Elaine Pittman has never sought attention for the contributions she makes to Christian Social Services, from proceeds derived from her plant sales. She likes to help that group because it feeds the hungry.
(B.C. Manion)

“Every spring, I would go to all of the neighbors around the block and ask for the little seedlings that they didn’t want. I had snow-on-the-mountain and bachelor buttons, and you name it,” said Pittman, who lives in Lutz.

She can barely remember a time since then when she wasn’t getting her hands dirty.

Deliberately.

Throughout her life, she spent spare time digging in soil and coaxing beauty from the earth.

Now, gardening is part of her daily life.

And, in Florida, she can do it year-round.

Behind her house, she has a potting shed, where she has stacks of pots, a sink and potting soil — in an assembly line of sorts.

“I do have a sink full of water here. Certain plants require clean pots. I just soak them (pots) in bleach and detergent here,” she said.

She takes plants that others discard, or pass along to her, and she divides them into smaller plants, which she then tends in her backyard.

She’s nurturing all sorts of plants, including begonias, amaryllis, coonties, crotons, kalanchoe, maple leaf hibiscus and crown of thorns.

She was in her shed, one recent day, putting her skills to work.

Maple leaf hibiscus ‘looks like velvet,’ Elaine Pittman says. ‘This one tends to get a little leggy, so you have to cut it back a lot,’ she adds.

She picked up a leather-leaf fern – a scraggily looking thing, but Pittman saw its potential.

“I always tell people I’m one of these idiots, something breaks, I can’t throw it away. I have to put it in dirt,” Pittman said.

After eyeballing the leather-leaf fern, she decides it will make three or four smaller plants.

She prepares a pot for the first cutting.

“I use coffee filters in the bottom of the pot. It keeps the dirt from washing out,” Pittman explains. She picks up the filters at The Dollar Tree to keep down her costs.

When a pot has a tiny hole, she uses a clump of dryer lint to keep in the dirt.

Then, she takes the first cutting from the leather-leaf fern. She holds it over the pot and begins adding potting mix. She holds the cutting in the center of the pot until she’s added enough soil in the pot to support it.

Next, she adds a “teensy” bit of systemic insecticide, then more soil, and then a small amount of fertilizer.

“I don’t believe in using as much fertilizer as they tell you. They want to make money,” Pittman said. Plus, she notes, too much fertilizer isn’t good for the environment.

Elaine Pittman tends to begonias with red, white and pink blooms in her backyard. These are some of her red begonias.

At her age, Pittman said, she’s not able to make her own potting mix.

“I can’t do my own hard work because the body is too old,” she said. And, she added, “Arthur is not a good friend,” Pittman said, referring to her arthritis.

So, she enlists help.

“I have some young friends that are strong,” she said, and they make her potting mix for her.

And, while she can’t move as fast as she used to — she still manages to grow and sell hundreds of plants every year.

Her prices generally range from $2 to $6, with a few exceptions. “The most I’ve ever charged for one of my plants was $15,” Pittman said.

She sells most of her plants at a booth at the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club yard sale and at two flea markets held at the Old Lutz School each year. The club’s yard sale is scheduled for March 3 and March 4, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., on both days, at the Old Lutz School, 18819 U.S. 41 N., in Lutz.

Proceeds go to the woman’s club, which, in turn, donates the money to Christian Social Services, which operates a thrift store and food pantry in a building that looks like a red barn, at 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

In recent years, Pittman has sold $1,000 in plants a year to provide donations. She said she likes to help Christian Social Services because they feed people who are hungry.

Pittman provides the labor, and the space to cultivate the plants, but she said the work she does relies on the generosity of others.

“People give me plants all of the time when they redo their yards. They’ll bring me the extras. “When my daughter cuts her hibiscus, she brings me the cuttings,” she said.

It’s also not uncommon for her to find plants, pots and other supplies left — anonymously — in front of her garage.

She takes those offerings and puts them to good use.

Pittman has never sought attention for her efforts to create beauty, and to help the poor.

But, it’s a project that seems to align nicely, with a quotation by an unknown author that the Lutz woman finds inspiring: “If there is any hope for the world, it can only be found in personal kindness.”

Published February 8, 2017

Local businesses are ‘companies to watch’

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Three local businesses will be honored on Nov. 3 as being among 50 “companies to watch” in Florida.

Gator Cleaning Solutions, RISA and X-Link Medical Software Interfacing will receive their awards at a celebration at Hard Rock Live, Universal CityWalk, in Orlando.

Mary Lynn and Gary Gorsline lead X-Link Medical Software Interfacing, which has been identified as one of 50 companies to watch across Florida. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Mary Lynn and Gary Gorsline lead X-Link Medical Software Interfacing, which has been identified as one of 50 companies to watch across Florida.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

These companies were selected from 500 nominees in the annual Florida Companies to Watch annual awards program.

The statewide program identifies companies that are expected to achieve significant growth over the next several years. The awards program is managed by GrowFl, the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida, in association with Edward Lowe Foundation and with programmatic support from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Winners of the distinction were singled out based on several factors, including their entrepreneurial management teams, competitive marketing positions and strong community involvement.

The 50 companies making the list generated more than $1.1 billion in combined revenue and added nearly 1,200 employees, between 2012 and 2015, according to information provided by the Pasco Economic Development Council.

Businesses on the list also had a 30 percent increase in revenue and 33 percent increase in job growth in 2016, the Pasco EDC reports.

Gary and Mary Lynn Gorsline, owners of X-Link Medical Software Interfacing, are delighted that their Land O’ Lakes-based company is one to watch.

Their company, which began in March 1988, now has 12 employees, but has immediate needs to add three more, Mary Lynn Gorsline said.

The couple is pleased to see second-stage companies receive recognition and support.

“It’s a group of companies that are not startups, and they’re not Ford Motor companies,” Gary Gorsline said.

Jenny Connell, an account manager with Gator Cleaning Solutions, prepares to visit a client. (Courtesy of Gator Cleaning Solutions)
Jenny Connell, an account manager with Gator Cleaning Solutions, prepares to visit a client.
(Courtesy of Gator Cleaning Solutions)

Mary Lynn, added: “Second-stage companies are hugely important because they generate more jobs — yet get very little attention. Startups get lots of attention. Tiny little businesses get lots of attention, but second-stage that drive the economy are largely overlooked.”

Innovation has played a huge role in the company’s success and remains essential, she added.

“We have to never, ever, ever stop innovating because if we do, we’ll go away,” she said.

One pivotal moment for the company came from the exposure it derived from being among 80 top U.S. vendors that demonstrated at the Interoperability Showcase for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, the largest American health care tradeshow.

The appearance there led to new partnerships and created new opportunities at the local, state, national and international levels, according to the couple.

The company also has supported the creation of a clinic in Managua, has provided financial support to the nonprofit Ghana Orphanage and helped with the startup, and has provided continued support for Oasis Pregnancy Care Center, which has office space in Copperstone Executive Suites, where X-Link operates.

Gator Cleaning Solutions, of Odessa, has been in business for more than 12 years. The company has evolved from a janitorial service to a facility maintenance provider.

It delivers customizable strategies to meet its customers’ needs. Recently, it expanded to include residential floor care such as carpet, tile/grout and upholstery cleaning.

The company rebranded itself in 2010, changing its name, expanding its executive leadership team and developing its first comprehensive website. It expanded its footprint in 2012 by purchasing its corporate office and warehouse space, and adding staff, to prepare for continued growth.

The company is a big believer in community involvement.

“I’m a big part of Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel,” said Erin Meyers, co-owner of the company.

She’s also involved with the Interact Club at Land O’ Lakes High School and is a Big Sister in the Big Brother/Big Sister organization.

Her husband, Marcus, also a co-owner of the company, coaches two teams in the West Pasco Soccer Club. He’s also on the Greater Pasco Chamber Board.

The company shows its support for community involvement by providing a paid work day for each employee, dubbed a “Give Day” to allow them to give back to a charity of their choice.

The company is also involved in a number of other organizations and charitable causes.

The company has about 80 employees, including about 30 full-time staff members, Erin Meyer said.

“We made it to a finalist last year. We were totally honored. If you look back at last year’s winners, there were just some amazing companies,” she said. “To have won this year is just extremely exciting and humbling.”

RISA, of Land O’ Lakes, is also on the list of companies to watch.

RISA is a Hispanic, Certified Veteran Owned Small Business that specializes in cyber security and information technology services.

It helps the Department of Defense and the federal government to secure networks, improve overall network security and achieve government regulatory compliance, according to its website.

It also supports a number of charitable causes and organizations, locally and internationally, including a micro-church in Germany that provides food, clothing, shelter and the Gospel to Germans who may have never read the Bible or heard of Jesus, the company’s website says.

Closer to home, the company supports Christian Social Services of Land O’ Lakes and Grace United Methodist Church, which in cooperation with Metropolitan Ministries, provides hot dinners weekly to members of the local community.

Published October 26, 2016

Thrift store seeks to push up sales

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Christian Social Services of Lutz & Land O’ Lakes Inc., gets a lot of visitors, as people bring donations to the thrift store at 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., which resembles a large red barn.

But, the charity had been trying to figure out a way to capture some of that traffic, before it headed back onto Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, said Jacquie Petet, executive director of the charitable organization.

Jacquie Petet and Patty Byers work at Christian Social Services Thrift Store. The nonprofit organization provides help, in a variety of ways, to people who are struggling. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
Jacquie Petet and Patty Byers work at Christian Social Services Thrift Store. The nonprofit organization provides help, in a variety of ways, to people who are struggling.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

That’s when they came up with the idea of issuing $3 in Red Barn Bucks to anyone who brings in a donation, Petet said.

The store needs to sell more merchandise to help cover payroll, utilities and other expenses, Petet said.

“We are a very low-budget organization. If you look around, you could probably find three things in this office that we actually paid money for. We just wait until it comes through the back door,” Petet said.

There are four employees and about two dozen regular volunteers. It also gets help, periodically, from youth groups and community organizations.

Despite its small staff, the organization provides great services, said Loretta Parker, who was at the thrift store recently to pick up some food from the pantry.

“If it hadn’t been for this place, I would be so far under,” Parker said. “They are great with every kind of help,” she said.

Volunteers Nancy Taylor, Beverly Maples and Mary Whitaker said they enjoy helping out.

Taylor was busy sorting bakery items on a recent day, while Maples and Whitaker stocked shelves in the food pantry.

“I like doing it,” Maples said. “I love the people here.”

Christian Social Services Thrift Store, 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., is trying to encourage people who drop off donations to come inside and shop away. They’re giving $3 in Red Barn Bucks to spend in the store to anyone who makes a donation.
Christian Social Services Thrift Store, 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., is trying to encourage people who drop off donations to come inside and shop away. They’re giving $3 in Red Barn Bucks to spend in the store to anyone who makes a donation.

The food and other services that Christian Social Services provides are much-needed in the community, Taylor said.

Patty Byers said she first became acquainted with the thrift store when she needed help.

“That was 13 years ago,” she said.

When Byers got back on her feet, she became a volunteer, and then she became a part-time employee.

“It’s a lovely place to work,” Byers said.

“We see people coming in that can’t feed their children, and when they leave, their shoulders are little more up, their head is a little higher,” Byers said.

“It’s a wonderful place,” she said.

Byers said they can also provide encouragement and remind those who are struggling that, “even though things seem bad, they can get better.”

People who enjoy thrift shopping will find much to peruse at the thrift shop, including clothing, housewares, interior décor, books, china and other items.

Christian Social Services opened its doors in August 1987. It is supported by churches in Lutz and Land O’ Lakes, and serves families and individuals in north Hillsborough and Central Pasco counties.

Loretta Parker was at Christian Social Services Thrift Store recently to pick up some groceries. She said the charitable organization has been a saving grace for her.
Loretta Parker was at Christian Social Services Thrift Store recently to pick up some groceries. She said the charitable organization has been a saving grace for her.

The organization provides backpacks, school supplies and clothing for school-aged children; food, clothing, household necessities for families, support services to people in crisis, and holiday food baskets and Christmas toys to families in need.

The organization also partners with FUMC-Lutz and Mission Tampa to provide free dental care for people in need within the community.

And, it sponsors and coordinates National Day of Prayer activities.

Its member churches are All Saints Lutheran, Candlewood Community Church, Church of the Lakes, First Baptist of Lutz, First United Methodist of Land O’ Lakes, First United Methodist of Lutz, Grace Family Church, Harvester United Methodist Church, Holy Trinity Lutheran, Idlewild Baptist, Land O’ Lakes Church of God and Tims Memorial Church.

Additional churches that provide support are Church of the Suncoast, Cornerstone Presbyterian, Heritage Christian Center, Keystone Community, and Village Presbyterian.

The thrift store is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The emergency food pantry is open during those hours, too.

Christian Social Services Thrift Store
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What: Clothing, linens, shoes, dishes, jeans, small appliances, jewelry, books, home décor
Where: 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
Deals: Every month, items marked with a different color are on sale. Everyone who donates goods receives a $3 coupon to spend in the store.
For more information: (813) 995-0088

Published February 24, 2016

Tilling the soil to share earth’s bounty

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It’s around 8 a.m. on a Saturday, and a volunteer crew is hard at work in a garden at Tims Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lutz.

Renee White is yanking plants out of a raised bed, like a one-woman wrecking crew. Her husband Mike is on the other side of the garden trying to make sure that he’s placing a wood post in the right spot for a new raised bed.

A group of volunteers at Tims Memorial Presbyterian Church has created The Mustard Seed Garden Ministry. The crops they grow help to feed the hungry. The flowers they grow feed the soul. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
A group of volunteers at Tims Memorial Presbyterian Church has created The Mustard Seed Garden Ministry. The crops they grow help to feed the hungry. The flowers they grow feed the soul.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Eric Kopp is working up a sweat, first sawing wood for the new garden bed, and then fixing a water pipe that’s broken.

Meanwhile, Ann Marks and Princess Layne are tending to other garden chores. Marks is scooping up piles of vegetation that Renee White has cleared out of a bed and carrying it to a compost heap. Layne is stripping okra leaves off a plant to allow sunlight to reach other plants.

The volunteers are part of The Mustard Seed Garden Ministry.

They launched the project last year, first finding an area on the church’s property that would work for a garden, said Renee White, who is a Hillsborough County master gardener.

To plant the garden they needed flat terrain, water and sun. They also needed a spot that wasn’t already being used by another group at the church, she said.

“Of all the places that we surveyed on the 11 acres, this was the one that fit everything,” White said.

The volunteers set about transforming a 65-by-55-foot patch of land into a thriving garden.

The idea for the garden came from members of the mission committee, White said.

“Several of us had the idea,” she said. “We have this property, why don’t we use it to God’s glory by taking care of people who don’t have fresh food.”

At the moment, okra, peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil and flowers are growing in the garden. At other times of the year, they plant different crops.

The plants are grown in raised beds, and the gardeners rotate what they grow to reduce problems with fungus, disease, nematodes and other pests.

They also grow a variety of flowers on the front side of the garden.

“We have our pollinators up front here,” White said.

Besides attracting bees and butterflies, the flowers create a beautiful view for passersby and visitors to the church grounds.

As they harvest the garden, they donate its yield to the First Baptist Church and Grace Family Church in Lutz, which both feed the hungry. They also donate produce to Christian Social Services in Land O’ Lakes, which gives it to people in need.

The Mustard Seed Ministry raises money for garden supplies by going to local produce markets and having their own farmer’s market at the church. Whatever they don’t sell, they donate to Christian Social Services.

“One day, it may be tomatoes and broccoli and cabbage and lettuce. On another day, it may be something else,” White said. That’s in addition to donated crops from their garden.

The ministry also allows people to use 4-by-4-foot plots for a $10 annual donation. Layne is growing okra and flowers in one of those plots.

“I just love gardening, and where I live, I do not have a lot of gardening space,” said Layne, who lives in Willow Bend. “So, this is my garden away from home.”

She enjoys helping in the garden ministry, too.

“I just love being active in my church,” Layne said.

Kopp said this is his first experience in serving on an outreach ministry, and he’s glad he signed on.

“I own a landscaping company, so it’s a pretty natural thing,” Kopp said.

Marks, who lives in Wesley Chapel, said she comes from a long line of gardeners. Unlike them, she said, she’s not a skilled gardener. “Weeding is my specialty,” she said, but she enjoys being involved. “It’s all community. It’s pulling our strengths together to help out people who can’t help themselves.”

Published August 6, 2014

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Food pantry ‘blessed’ to provide for those in need

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The big red building on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard might not fetch more than a causal glance from some passersby, but many who step through the doors say it’s a place where blessings are granted regularly.

The nonprofit food pantry located just south of Ehren Cutoff has been helping feed area families in need since 1987. Although not always situated in its current 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., home, the agency has grown through the years to meet the needs of the community.

Mike Head packs grocery bags for clients of Christian Social Services. (Photo by Sherri Lonon)
Mike Head packs grocery bags for clients of Christian Social Services. (Photo by Sherri Lonon)

Holding true to its Christian roots, the pantry has very few rules for those who receive assistance. Individuals or families in need just need to stop by during regular hours to receive emergency food staples. Help is given on an honor system, explained Jacquie Petet, the agency’s executive director.

While tons of food goes out of the agency’s doors each month to hundreds of families in need, Petet said the community always steps up to make sure the food doesn’t run out.

“We are blessed,” she said, noting that 12 area churches and their congregations assist in keeping the pantry’s shelves stocked. Area residents also lend a hand by donating nonperishable food items, money and extras, such as presents for children during the holidays and backpacks at back-to-school time.

Christian Social Services also is partially self-supporting thanks to an onsite thrift store that’s open to the public.

Even though support for the mission is strong, Petet said additional help is always welcomed and needed. The last few years especially have been difficult with the economy down and donations to regular food drives, such as the postal carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger drive, down with it.

Before the economy turned a few years ago, the postal drive brought enough food into the pantry to handle demand for months. That’s no longer the case, Petet said.

“The last few years, it’s been substantially down,” she said.

There are many ways area residents can help out, said Llurah Utt, a longtime volunteer at Christian Social Services. Not only can they donate food, money or even items for the thrift store, but volunteers are always needed as well.

“We always welcome people that want to volunteer,” Utt said.

Christian Social Services operates its pantry and community thrift store with the help of three full-time employees — including Petet — and two part-time workers. About 20 volunteers fill in the gaps to make sure shelves are stocked, items are sorted, and bags of food are prepared for those in need.

“Our volunteers are a hundred times better than most people’s employees,” Petet said.

Employee Mike Head said the agency has been a godsend to his family and he’s been “blessed” to help others in return. Head began working at Christian Social Services several years ago after he was laid off from a full-time cable installer job.

While Mike now works at the agency, his wife Bobbi and two children, Bianka, 8, and Bryan, 10, are often at his side volunteering to help other families facing difficult times.

“It’s nice to be able to instill that,” Head said of giving back.

Christian Social Services’ pantry and thrift store are open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit CSS-HelpingHands.org, or call (813) 995-0088.

— Sherri Lonon