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Faith-Based Coalition Sponsors Food Drive

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By LENORA LAKE

llake@tampatrib.com

Published: November 12, 2008

UNIVERSITY AREA - Churches, outreach ministries, youth agencies, social services organizations and apartment managers will provide Thanksgiving food baskets for local families.

Last week members of the University Area Faith-Based Coalition agreed to the project. They are encouraging individuals, churches or service organizations to collect items for the baskets.

The coalition on Nov. 20 will distribute the baskets to families in need selected by school social workers at four elementary schools; Muller Magnet, Witter, Shaw and Miles.

"We want the drive to service those people in the University Area community," said Toi Wilds, senior recreation specialist with Hillsborough County's Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department.

Pastors, including the Rev. David Cantillo of Iglesia Tampa para Cristo (Tampa for Christ Church), said the representative churches will collect canned goods and non-perishable items from their congregation members. University Area Community Park will collect from its participants; others will collect at their agencies and at various gatherings.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is donating money to buy turkeys for the baskets.

Dale Felix, the coalition coordinator, said other organized groups, neighborhoods or individuals who would like to participate may bring donations of nonperishable items or grocery-store gift cards to the University Area Community Center by Tuesday.

Any extra food not used for the baskets will help stock the University Area Community Social Services Center's emergency food bank.

A similar but larger project is under way in Brandon where 14 churches have joined together for Feed the Bay. As many as 20,000 volunteers involved in that effort will shop for food Nov. 23, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, to help fill local food pantries.

TO GET INVOLVED

Drop off canned good and non-perishable items or grocery store gift cards at the University Area Community Center, 14310 N. 22nd St. by Tuesday. For information, call Dale Felix at (813) 558-5212.

Tribune correspondent Lenora Lake can be reached at (813) 865-4851.

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