Have a Heart Caring Castle

wrap up for 2017

A huge thank you to residents in the South Shore area for your overwhelming generosity

The 4th annual Have a Heart Caring Castle food drive concluded on a high note Feb. 28 with more than 3,000 pounds of nonperishable foods collected that were distributed to seven local food pantries. Thanks go to all who helped in any way, but the biggest thank you goes to the people of the South Shore area who purchased and donated the food.

CHERE SIMMONS PHOTO
Rosie Korfant, campaign project facilitator, and ‘castle’ engineer Don Jones. The tubes used for turrets are completely filled with bags of dried beans, rice and pasta.

Food drive co-sponsors, JSA Medical Group, a Division of DaVita Medical Group, and The Observer News wish to give special thanks to:

JSA Medical clinics at 722 Cortaro Dr. and 781 Cypress Creek Blvd.

M&M Printing Company Inc., Ruskin

Winn Dixie Supermarkets in Sun City Center and Ruskin

WFLA News Channel 8

Sun Radio

JSA Activity Center classes

SCC Yoga Club

Thanks also to the five new satellite drop-off sites:

Dunkin’ Donuts

The World of Susie Vong Salon

The Mail Box Store

Boggs Jewelry

BubbaQue’s

Twelve loyal volunteers helped build the “castle” and faithfully return each year to sort and distribute the goods. They were: “Captain” Don Jones, Gianfranco and Carmela Salerno, Alisja and John Opacic, Dick and Lynnette Heisler, Janice Wideman, and Jeff and Sue Beller. This activity takes place in the JSA Medical Group’s Community Activity Center.

ROSIE KORFANT PHOTO
Volunteers who consistently show up for the Have a Heart Caring Castle event each year weigh the food, sort it into categories, and then evenly distribute the items to each of the seven recipients. Pictured kneeling in the front is John Opacic. In the second row is Sue Beller, Alisja Opacic, Carmela Salerno, Lynette Heisler and “Captain” Don Jones. In the back row is Dick Heisler, Joan Cavanagh, Walt Cavanagh, Jeff Beller and Gianfranco Salerno.

Food pantries benefitting from the food drive were:

CHERE SIMMONS PHOTO
Volunteers from Beth-El Farmworker Ministry load their van with food from the recent Have a Heart Caring Castle food drive.

Beth-El Farmworker Ministry

RiverStone Church

The Lord’s Lighthouse

Our Lady of Guadalupe

St. Anne Catholic Church

Calvary Lutheran Community Cupboard

For Rosie Korfant, campaign project facilitator, the fourth year in operation was by far the busiest.

“The campaign began with a bang, garnering two overflowing collection cans in the first week from Winn Dixie in Sun City Center,” said Korfant.

In the final week the Have a Heart Caring Castle food drive was able to proudly distribute more than 3,000 pounds of food.

“This speaks volumes about the generosity of the South Shore community,” said Korfant.

Next year’s fifth drive will be a milestone and expectations are already high.

ROSIE KORFANT PHOTO
The final sorting is done by volunteers from the community. Each table represents a local food bank benefitting from the annual Caring Castle food drive event.

CHERE SIMMONS PHOTO
A volunteer from Beth-El Farmworker Ministry carries out bags of nonperishable goods donated by the community to the Caring Castle food drive.

ROSIE KORFANT PHOTO
Volunteers from Our Lady of Guadalupe food pantry load items from the recent Have a Heart Caring Castle food drive.

ROSIE KORFANT PHOTO
A representative from The Lord’s Lighthouse fills the back of a van with bags of nonperishable food items to be added to the mission’s food pantry.

Have a Heart Caring Castle Food Drive

Drop off donations at one of these 9 locations:

JSA Medical Group
787 Cortaro Drive, Sun City Center, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

JSA Medical Group
781 Cypress Creek Blvd., Sun City Center, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Winn-Dixie
4445 Sun City Center Blvd., Sun City Center
Store #0619

Winn-Dixie
1023 U.S. 41, Ruskin
Store #2444

NEW LOCATIONS:
World of Suzie Vong Salon
3820 SCC Blvd. (S.R. 674), Sun City Center

The Mail Box Store
3848 SCC Blvd. (S.R. 674), Sun City Center

Bogg’s Jewelers
4845 SCC Blvd. (S.R. 674), Sun City Center

Dunkin’ Donuts
717 Cypress Village Blvd., Ruskin

BubbaQue’s
3853 SCC Blvd. (S.R. 674), Sun City Center/Ruskin

Local food banks benefitting from the food drive are:

The Lord’s Lighthouse
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Good Samaritan Mission
Beth-El Mission
St. Anne Catholic Church
Calvary Lutheran Community Cupboard
RiverStone Church

While charitable donation is at the forefront around Christmas, it’s the ensuing months when food banks can use the help, said Rosie Korfant, food drive coordinator. “At Christmas, everyone has their baskets and tubs out to help and that is wonderful, but people are hungry all year long.”

For more information, call Rosie Korfant at 813-419-5020 or email r.korfant@jsahealthcare.com.