Give a Little Time, Get a Few Groceries

We are all feeling the economic pinch right now. If you have a little bit of spare time, you might want to consider joining SHARE Florida Food Network. This not-for-profit organization rewards personal community involvement (volunteering) with substantial savings on food.

For an example of the types of food you receive, October's menu includes

• Potatoes
• Eggplant
• Lettuce
• Zucchini
• Grapefruit
• Apples

for $6.00! Choose the Basic Package for $18.00 and you will receive the fruits and vegetables listed above AND the following meat items:

• 8 oz Pork Sausage Links
• 1.8 lbs Split Chicken Breast
• 1 lb Ground Beef 85/15
• 1 lb Pollack Fillets
• 1 lb Mild Italian Rope Sausage.
  

All they ask in return is that you spend a little time volunteering for your favorite cause or charity. Pretty sweet deal in these challenging times! For more information, visit their website at www.shareflorida.org.

Drive-Thru Flu Shots

It's flu season again, and the Pasco County Health Department wants to make it a little more convenient to get your flu shot - you don't even have to get out of the car! The Drive-Thru Flu Shots will be available at the following locations:

Thursday, October 16 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
St. Michael the Archangel Church
8014 State Road 52
Hudson, FL

Monday, October 20 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Centennial Middle School
38505 Centennial Road
Dade City, FL

Flu shots will cost $25, payable by cash or check. People with proof of straight Medicare or Medicare PPO coverage will get their shots for free. For more information, check out the Pasco County Health Department's flu webpage.

Healthy Start Coalition of Pasco, Inc.

For moms and newborns, there is help in Pasco County. "Healthy Start provides moms and newborns with the resources, support and help they need to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy birth" (Healthy Start website). They can be contacted at:

P.O. Box 1527
New Port Richey, FL 34656-1527
Phone: (727) 841-7888
Fax: (727) 841-6555

In addition to Healthy Start, the organization also has the MomCare program. MomCare is a Medicaid funded program specifically designed for moms-to-be who would not normally be eligible for Medicaid but qualify because of an expansion of the eligibility criteria during pregnancy. The purpose of the program is to ensure early prenatal care, thereby producing healthy birth outcomes. A list of providers and contact information is available on the Healthy Start website. To see the Healthy Start website, just click on the organization's icon under Medical/Dental/Health Services to the right of the page.

Helping Those In Need-Food Donations

We are getting into holiday time. Halloween is just around the corner, and you know what lies around the rest of the corners. This is an important time of year for food donations. The organization that helps out Pasco as well as Hernando, Citrus and Sumter counties is the Suncoast Harvest Food Bank. Located in central Pasco, the Food Bank "supplies a wide variety of dry, refrigerated, and frozen foods and also supplies household items to over 135 local not for profit pantry organizations" (SHFB website). SHFB accepts donations of all kinds from cash, to food, to items for their thrift store, to used boats and automobiles. An individual can even volunteer with them. This is an important organization in our community especially in today's economic climate. You can view their website under "Food Resources." If you can give a little this year, please do. If you are in need of help, don't be afraid to reach out.

Elmer's Genealogy Library

There's a really unique library a couple of hours from Pasco up in Madison, Florida called Elmer's Genealogy Library. If you are researching your family tree, are at a crossroads, or just need a little assistance to get started, they may be able to help you. They will do research for you either online or in person. There is a charge though-$40/hour for non-members, $20 for members. Check out their website: http://www.elmerslibrary.com/index.php

Researching your family history is a fun and rewarding activity but can also be a daunting task. It's nice to know that we have places like Elmer's to help us when we need it.

Don't forget that locally, we have resources too. There is the genealogy collection housed at the Hugh Embry Library in Dade City. Other resources can be obtained by contacting the West Pasco Historical Society. Click on the icon under History/Genealogy, to view their website.

Pasco County EOC Emergency Notification System

County Emergency Operations launched a new program in the past few weeks called the Emergency Notification System. It's a pilot program right now, for seven months. It's being developed to warn residents of any kind of emergency situations from hurricanes to hazardous material incidents to boil water orders. By signing up, county residents can receive emergency notifications by home phone, cell phone or email. If you want to sign up, just go to the county emergency management website: http://www.pascoemergencymanagement.com/

On the web page, you will see an icon that says "Click here for one step notification." Click on that and follow the steps. Give it a try! This could prove to be a very useful tool to the citizens of Pasco County.

Coastal Cleanup September 20, 2008

Want a chance to volunteer some time? Give back to your community? Do something good for the environment? Well, on September 20th, you can have your chance with the 2008 Coastal Cleanup. The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup is a worldwide effort to help rid our coastlines of the garbage and waste we leave behind. Lots of people from Pasco will be participating, landlubbers and divers alike. Join in the fun and do something worthwhile! Click on the link below to sign up:
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9623

Or locally, you can call 727-847-8041.