Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
-Community Policing Unit

Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District

Beach Community Food Pantry at Calvary Episcopal Church
1615 1st Street, Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785
 www.calvaryirb.org

Indian Rocks Beach Rotary Club
PO Box 968, Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785
www.indian-rocks-rotary.org

Publix - Indian Rocks Shopping Center
12022 Indian Rocks Rd, Largo, FL 33774

What:
Deputies assigned to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Community Policing Unit will help deliver holiday dinners to families in need throughout Pinellas County.

Where:
Deputies will meet at the loading dock behind the Publix in the Indian Rocks Shopping Center located at 12022 Indian Rocks Road in Largo, and make deliveries to families in the county.

When:
Deputies will begin loading meals at 2:45 p.m., on Monday, December 23, 2019.

How/Why:
Deputies assigned to the Community Policing Unit will be loading Sheriff’s Office vehicles with holiday dinners destined for families in need throughout Pinellas County.

The project is an annual event which partners the Sheriff’s Office, the Indian Rocks Beach Rotary Club, Calvary Episcopal Church, Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue and Publix for the purpose of helping families who might not otherwise be able to afford a traditional meal this holiday.

Deputies with the Community Policing Unit have identified the families in need through their daily work in the community.

The various organizations donated the money raised to help with the purchase of the honey glazed ham meals and all the trimmings.

The meal includes: a 9 lb. ham, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, sliced pineapple, a gallon of unsweetened iced tea, a loaf of bread, peanut butter, jelly, navy beans, macaroni and cheese, an apple pie from the Publix bakery, a box of Little Debbie snack cakes, candy canes and an apple pie from the Publix bakery.

In all, 50 families will benefit from the generous contributions this year. The deputies will begin loading their vehicles at 2:45 p.m. behind the Publix and deliver meals to homes in the Lealman, Highpoint, Ridgecrest, and neighborhoods throughout unincorporated Pinellas County.

This is the 16^th year for the event, and the partnership between the organizations. The various organizations also partner to conduct similar events for Thanksgiving and Easter.

Calvary Episcopal Church’s Holiday Meal Ministry is actively accepting donations. Feeding families in need is not just a holiday project for the church. Throughout the year the church continues their work through the Beach Community Food Pantry which is open every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the Calvary Episcopal Church. The pantry is always accepting monetary donations and all non-perishable food products to keep the pantry going. If anyone would like to help with holiday meals, or the food pantry, please contact the Calvary Episcopal Church at 727-595-2374.

The media is invited to attend this event. PIO Corporal Chuck Skipper will be present to assist the media, please email cskipper@pcsonet.com  if you have any questions.