Santa is coming five months early to help a community center in need.
The center in the Suncoast neighborhood in North Fort Myers will hold a Christmas in July event. It's scheduled for Saturday, July 25, from 8 a.m. until noon at the center, 2241 Case Lane.
"We need help just paying our electric bills in this heat," Charles Garretson, a main volunteer at the center, said. The last bill was $1,000, according to Garretson, and he predicts the next bill will be even higher. "We have a lot of freezers for donated food, and those freezers use a lot of electricity."
The facility offers meals and food giveaways every week. Garretson said the last food bank, or giveaway, occurred a few days ago, and that 206 people showed up in the late afternoon heat. He said those 206 were picking up groceries for about 460 people in all. He said he believes a turnout of 206 people is the highest since right after Hurricane Ian in the fall of 2022.
The center mostly will sell donated clothes, although some household goods and toys will be offered. Most clothes will sell for a $1 donation. "In fact about 90% of the items will be only $1," Garretson said.
The Suncoast Neighborhood Task Force operates the center, and Garretson and others volunteer as cooks and organizers of the food giveaways. Garretson said the center used to get some government grants, but that those have been hard to come by in recent years. The center receives money from local donations and food from the Harry Chapin Food Bank.
Garretson said mid-summer is a particularly tough time for the center because some insurance payments come due, and the electric bills are high. He also said right now the center needs new fire extinguishers, and those could cost several hundred dollars.
"We need steady funding, but nobody seems to want to give us any," Garretson said. "We trust in the good Lord to keep us open."
Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University. WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
