Firehouse Cultural Center to host ‘Spruce Us Up’
and ‘Letters to Santa Drive-by Food Drive’
By LOIS KINDLE
Despite everything 2020 has thrown us, high school students still need to perform volunteer services to qualify for Bright Futures scholarships. The Firehouse Cultural Center has come up with an event called Spruce It Up, and it offers participants all kinds of opportunities to earn community service hours by helping give the facility a makeover.
Here’s a partial list of things that need to be done:
• interior painting of the studio building
• yardwork
• shed cleaning and organizing
• equipment cataloging
• data entry
• organizing of art supplies
• creating and organizing storage space
Activities will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday Dec. 21, Tuesday Dec. 22, Monday Dec. 28 and Tuesday Dec. 29.
“It’s a great chance for teens out of school to earn Bright Futures hours and help a local nonprofit organization,” said Beth Stein, Firehouse Cultural Center programs manager.
Anyone interested in getting involved should call 813-645-7651 or email info@firehouseculturalcenter.org. Volunteers are welcome to state their preference on the kind of work they’d like to do.
•••••
The Firehouse Cultural Center has made a special arrangement with Santa Claus to accept children’s letters to him from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 19. He will be on hand to wave at kids as their parents drive by to drop off their Christmas correspondence and receive an arts-filled goodie bag while supplies last. WPHX 101.9 FM will be playing popular Christmas tunes.
The event will also be an opportunity for residents to help people in need during the holiday season by donating canned goods, other nonperishable foods and/or personal care items and handing them to Santa’s helpers at the same time.
“To my knowledge, there’s nothing like this going on in South Shore, and we wanted kids to have a place to let Santa know what they’re dreaming of for Christmas,” Stein said. “At the same time, we thought it would be a perfect time for their parents to help those less-fortunate folks in the area. Everything we get will be donated to either Meet Me in the Street Ministry or the St. Anne Food Pantry.”
•••••
On a side note, the Firehouse Cultural Center has received almost $34,000 in Federal Cares Act funding through Hillsborough County’s R3 grants program, specifically to expand personal safety measures at its buildings during the pandemic and after.
Thus far, the Firehouse has installed all-touchless faucets and purchased visual cues regarding social distancing and mask wearing; ordered HEPA and UV air scrubbers; is ionizing its air conditioning system; and is in the process of installing all-touchless paper towel and soap dispensers for its bathrooms, upgrading to all-touchless hand sanitizing stations and more. The funding will also enable the staff to work at home, if necessary, by enhancing the Firehouse’s computer capabilities.
“We are grateful for these resources from Hillsborough County and our commissioners, particularly Sandra Murman, one of the Firehouse Cultural Center’s founding board members,” said Executive Director Chris Bredbenner. “Without these funds, we couldn’t improve or upgrade the measures we’ve taken so far to make the Firehouse Cultural Center as safe as possible for the South Shore community.”