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St. Mary's Episcopal Church

Love One Another serves up food, and kindness

December 26, 2018 By Brian Fernandes

It’s not uncommon for generous acts to surface during the holiday, especially charitable gestures for those who are less fortunate.

But, when you have a group that guarantees a hot plate every Sunday throughout the year, that’s not such a common thing.

That’s precisely what an organization called Love One Another has been doing for 10 years.

The Rev. Dayan Machado, left, of St. Rita Catholic Church, and Ed Laezza, a coordinator for Love One Another, are all smiles as they welcome people to Pasco County Nutrition Center on Dec. 16 for a meal served by the Love One Another ministry. (Richard Riley)

The ministry serves meals every Sunday at the Pasco County Nutrition Center, 13853 15th St., in Dade City.

It feeds whomever walks through the door.

Lucy Avila helped to found Love One Another.

She said it all began with a simple idea brought up during a staff meeting at the First Baptist Church, where she attends.

Initially, it was a program aimed at feeding only the homeless.

Flyers were placed around the city to get the word out.

In the beginning, organizers planned for 100 people, but only 10 showed up.

The First Baptist Church supplied and prepared the meals for the first five months, but then decided to reach out to other churches in Dade City, asking them to help.

The churches responded.

Now, in addition to First Baptist Church, other churches pitching in are St. Rita Catholic Church, Calvary Assembly of God, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church and Dade City Christian Church.

“It’s really a joint venture, but it’s all to promote Jesus Christ,” explained Jesse O’ Berry, a volunteer who attends Dade City Christian Church.

Each Sunday, a different church prepares and serves the meals.

Besides expanding the ministry, the organization also began opening its doors to anyone who wanted to come to enjoy a hot dish.

Kevin Yawn, left, and his brother, Joey, enjoy a nice hot meal with their longtime friend, Ben Lehman.

There’s also a food pantry — so those attending can take home items to last them through the week, and they can select items from a collection of clothing and personal hygiene items.

Offering these items, Avila said, benefits people who are limited financially and who are sometimes are forced to make the difficult choice between buying groceries or prescription medicines.

Ithzi Diaz, a mother of four, has been enjoying the hot meals for three years now.

With scarce resources, she said it’s a struggle to provide for her children.

The ministry has been a source of real help, she said.

“It’s just a relief to have places like this,” Diaz said. “It’s hard for a single mom.”

And, besides being able to take home groceries to help her family, she also can pick up treats for the pet cat.

This time of year, the Nutrition Center has a holiday feel. There’s a decorated Christmas tree behind a table of pantry items, and the tables are neatly set with holiday-themed tablecloths.

The desserts even include some colorful cookies, shaped like ornaments.

Avila is grateful for the year-round generosity of those who sustain the ministry.

“I’m so thankful that people have contributed to make these things happen,” Avila said.

Donors include the nonprofit organization Restored Hope, and Panera Bread. A fitness center also helps, by providing canned goods and pet food.

Schools pitch in, too. Pasco Middle School, Centennial Middle School and Centennial Elementary School all contribute canned goods on Fridays.

Students from Saint Leo University volunteer occasionally, too.

In addition to the Sunday meals, Love One Another also helps other organizations, when it has a surplus of food.

“If there’s a need out there, and we can help somebody else because we’ve been blessed, then we pass that on,” Avila said.

Ithzi Diaz, left, has some great company for her Sunday meal, as she is joined by her children Daniel, Melina, Diana, Angie and Owen.

Forty-one-year-old Joey Yawn has witnessed Love One Another’s good works, and tries to emulate them. He’s been attending the Sunday meals for the past 10 years.

The Dade City man said he’s willing to open his home to others in need because the organization has helped him.

In addition to providing a welcome meal, the program has created a community, where friendships are formed and people care about each other, Yawn said.

He recalled one instance someone gave him some eggs and he passed them along to a single mom, so she could take them home.

Over time, Yawn has managed to get his brother, Kevin, and a friend, Ben Lehman, to come to the Sunday dinners.

“It’s been a blessing that God has put this in our lives because, without this, a lot of us would probably go hungry during the week,” the 20-year-old Lehman said.

Like his friend, he too has learned the meaning of sharing love and compassion to others.

“If I see a homeless guy on the way and I have a bag, I try to give him something,” he explained, quoting the Golden Rule.

When people ask him why he has such a joyful spirit, he tells them he can only attribute it to having a close relationship with God.

Many of those attending a recent Sunday gathering felt the same way as Vonette Mobley, who said, “Everybody that we meet, they’re very nice and make us feel like we’re family.”

Vonette Mobley smiles, while holding her granddaughter, Destiny, who is enjoying a candy cane.

Mobley, who initially came because she was invited by Avila, said she always felt respected and welcome.

There’s never been a sense of being looked down on, Mobley said. She has always felt like an equal.

She brings along her two daughters, Jasmine and Moesha, plus her granddaughter, Destiny.

“I was wondering earlier — ‘What am I going to cook for a Sunday meal?’ — and then my kids said, ‘Mom, just go to Love One Another’,” she said, chuckling.

Besides the meal and company, those attending often get something else, too: News of free events that will be coming up soon in the community, such as the Dade City Symphony or the Christmas Parade.

Plus, at the beginning of each month, there’s also a cake to celebrate those having a birthday that month.

At Love One Another gatherings, there’s food for the body, and soul.

For more information on Love One Another, contact Lucy Avila at (352) 424-4972 or at .

Love One Another
Where: Pasco County Nutrition Center, 13853 15th St., Dade City
When: Every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: Free
Details: Hot meals and desserts are provided at the center, as well as clothing, hygienic products and additional groceries to take home.
Info: If you’d like to know more about Love One Another, or you’d like to help, please contact Lucy Avila at (352) 424-4972 or at .

Published December 26, 2018

Filed Under: Top Story Tagged With: Ben Lehman, Calvary Assembly of God, Centennial Elementary School, Centennial Middle School, Dade City, Dade City Christian Church, Dade City Symphony, Fifteenth Street, First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church, Ithzi Diaz, Jesse O' Berry, Joey Yawn, Kevin Yawn, Love One Another, Lucy Avila, Panera Bread, Pasco County Nutrition Center, Pasco Middle School, Restored Hope, Saint Leo University, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, St. Rita Catholic Church, Vonette Mobley

Dade City remembers Chief Raymond Velboom

November 21, 2018 By Brian Fernandes

It was standing-room only at the Army National Guard building in Dade City, as police officers in dress uniform and members of the community turned out to honor the life of the community’s Police Chief Raymond E. Velboom, who passed away on Oct. 27.

Velboom’s death, at age 67,  followed a lengthy battle with throat cancer.

The celebration of Velboom’s life began with the solemn presentation of the colors by members of the Pasco County Sheriff’s color guard.

Friends, family and former fellow comrades came out to honor the life of Chief Raymond Velboom on Nov. 15 at the Army National Guard building in Dade City. (Courtesy of Richard Riley)

The audience stood as the color guard marched to the front stage, placing an American flag on one side of the podium, and a flag for the State of Florida on the other side.

The celebration took on a different tone, when “I’ll Fly Away” — one of Velboom’s favorite songs — was played in his honor.

The uplifting, jazzy rendition by the Blind Boys of Alabama, had members in the audience clapping and waving white handkerchiefs in the air.

Those attending the service had a chance to learn more about Velboom’s life.

He was born in Clearwater on Jan. 15, 1951, to Ralph and Ethel Velboom.

His dream of becoming a police office began in his childhood, and after graduating from Clearwater High School in 1969, he enrolled at Florida State University and earned a degree in criminal justice.

He worked as a probation and parole office, before joining the Orlando Police Department.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Department color guard displays the U.S. and Floridian flags at Chief Raymond Velboom’s memorial service on Nov. 15.

He became a special agent for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in 1980, and in this position, he worked as part of the governor’s protective detail and also as an intelligence supervisor.

He married Julie Scott in 1995, a longtime friend he initially met in Orlando.

“Everybody that he met, he treated with respect, expected it back and got it,” his wife said, while fighting back tears.

She talked about her husband trying to lighten the mood by having her turn on Howard Stern’s radio show, while the couple was on the way to Moffitt Cancer Center.

While she wasn’t a big fan of the show, she said her husband found Stern funny and thought he was a great interviewer. So, she turned it on for his sake.

The couple had lived in South Tampa until around a decade ago.

Velboom had retired from FDLE in 2007, but just a year later — in March 2008 — he accepted the role as chief of the Dade City Police Department.

A memorial service was held Nov. 15 at the Army National Guard for former police chief of Dade City Raymond E. Velboom. Velboom’s style of policing was known as the ‘Ray way,’ as he was able to bond with the community in a friendly and cordial manner. (Courtesy of Dade City Police Department Facebook page)

“The main thing I wanted to talk to you about today was how much Ray loved his community,” said Julie.

Sometimes he would call her and say he was on his way home, and then he would spend the next hour driving around.

Sometimes he would stop to talk to people, at random, including the homeless. He also was known for playing cards with everyday folks.

To explain her husband’s commitment and work ethic, she quoted the lyrics from “It’s My Job,” by Jimmy Buffett, one of the chief’s favorite singers.

“It’s my job to be different from the rest, to be better than the best,” those lyrics say.

Father Dewey Brown of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Dade City described Velboom’s dedication to work as “the Ray way.”

When he talked to Velboom, Brown said, the chief emphasized his concern about the need to bridge the gap between the community and the police.

Velboom, Brown said, was a “peace officer” and “he lived out that love for every other person he came in contact with.”

As the cancer progressed, Velboom was forced to have his voice box removed in the spring, but even though he couldn’t talk, he remained optimistic.

He would assure family and friends that he was OK, by giving a thumbs-up or a fist in the air.

His wife affirmed: “While he may have lost his ability to speak, he never lost his big heart.”

And, as she stepped off the stage, the audience applauded, and raised their thumbs in the air.

Published November 21, 2018

Filed Under: Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Army National Guard, Blind Boys of Alabama, Clearwater High School, Dade City, Dewey Brown, Ethel Velboom, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida State University, Howard Stern, Jimmy Buffett, Julie Scott, Moffitt Cancer Center, Orlando Police Department, Pasco County Sheriff, Ralph Velboom, Raymond E. Velboom, St. Mary's Episcopal Church

Ornaments reveal history, raise money

October 23, 2014 By B.C. Manion

When the Dade City Garden Club began selling an annual holiday ornament to raise money for the club, the decoration was simple: a two-dimensional square.

That didn’t matter.

The ornament’s theme — the Historic Pasco County Courthouse — touched a chord among area residents and quickly sold out, recalled Pat Carver, who was involved in getting the ornament sales off the ground.

The Dade City Garden Club sells a holiday ornament each year to honor a local place or organization. Proceeds help pay to maintain the garden club’s facilities and support its community projects. (Courtesy of Dade City Garden Club)
The Dade City Garden Club sells a holiday ornament each year to honor a local place or organization. Proceeds help pay to maintain the garden club’s facilities and support its community projects. (Courtesy of Dade City Garden Club)

When people bought the ornament, they would say things like, “This was the room where I got married,” or, “this was where my mother was a secretary,” Carver recalled.

The garden club didn’t originate the fundraising idea, but it recognized its potential, Carver said. Jackie Preedom, a fellow garden club member, heard about it when she attended a convention. Since then, the ornaments have been popular with the community.

“There are people who anxiously look forward to what the next ornament is going to be,” Carver said.

That’s because Dade City is a place where people still feel a connection with each other, and with the town’s landmarks and institutions.

“We love our community,” Carver said.

Apparently, the idea of selling an annual ornament to raise money for the club has had staying power – the tradition has been going on for two decades now.

Proceeds help pay expenses to maintain the garden club’s building, grounds and botanical garden to support club projects, according to club member Sally Redden. Those projects include floral, horticultural and environmental programs, flower shows, garden tours, and civic beautification projects.

The entire garden club votes on what the ornament should feature. Each is accompanied by a card stamped with a picture of the ornament on the front and contains a brief historic account on the back.

This year the garden chose to pay homage to the Pasco County Fair. Like the garden club, the fair has deep roots in the county. Both got their start in 1947.

Fairs in Dade City date back to 1915, but there hadn’t been any for a long time. The Pasco County Fair evolved from the Pasco’s participation in the Florida State Fair, according to the ornament’s fact sheet, and was designed to showcase county resources.

Rancher D. E. Cannon led the efforts, with the help of Jimmy Higgins, George Nikolai, Bob Williams and Joe Collura. They found a 40-acre tract along State Road 52 and raised $3,500 to purchase the site.

The Kiwanis Club and the Chamber of Commerce were instrumental in helping raise the money from local businesses and the community.

The first documented Pasco County Fair began on Jan. 20, 1948.

Ornaments are available for purchase through garden club members and at the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, 14112 Eighth St., in Dade City.

The ornaments are $22 each, and checks should be made payable to the Dade City Garden Club.

Here are some of the ornaments the Dade City Garden Club has sold over the years:
1994: Pasco County Courthouse
1995: Dade City Grammar School (Cox Elementary)
1996: Dade City Garden Center
1997: First Presbyterian Church of Dade City
1998: Historic Pasco County Courthouse
1999: Dade City Woman’s Club
2000: Pioneer Florida Museum
2001: Edwinola
2002: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
2003: St. Leo Abbey Church
2004: First United Methodist Church of Dade City
2005: National Guard Armory
2006: Atlantic Coastline Railroad Depot
2007: First Baptist Church of Dade City
2008: Williams/Lunch on Limoges
2009: Pasco High School
2010: Lacoochee School House at the Pioneer Museum
2011: Pasco Packing Plant
2012: Pasco County World War II Memorial
2013: 1913 Pasco High School
2014: Pasco County Fair

Published October 22, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Filed Under: Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Atlantic Coastline Railroad Depot, Bob Williams, Cox Elementary, D.E. Cannon, Dade City, Dade City Garden Center, Dade City Garden Club, Dade City Grammar School, Dade City Woman's Club, Edwinola, First Presbyterian Church of Dade City, First United Methodist Church of Dade City, George Nikolai, Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, Historic Pasco County Courthouse, Jackie Preedom, Jimmy Higgins, Joe Collura, Kiwanis Club, Lacoochee School House, Lunch on Limoges, National Guard Armory, Pasco County Fair, Pasco County World War II Memorial, Pasco Packing Plant, Pat Carver, Pioneer Florida Museum, Sally Redden, St. Leo Abbey Church, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, State Road 52

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