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Metropolitan Ministries Adds Collection Sites

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By GEORGE WILKENS

gwilkens@tampatrib.com

Published: December 10, 2008

PLANT CITY - This year for the first time, Metropolitan Ministries has established Plant City collection sites to receive holiday donations to help the needy.

The charity set up what it calls a holiday center at a car dealership to accept donations for its annual food and toy drive.
Metropolitan Ministries also set up several nearby satellite locations to receive donations.
Metropolitan Ministries public relations coordinator Ana Maria Mendez said that in an effort to make donating more convenient, the Tampa-based nonprofit organization adds one holiday collection center each season.

The Plant City Holiday Center was established because of the 24,000 families the organization will help this holiday; more than 850 are in the Plant City area, she said.

The organization that marked its 35th anniversary this year conducts a holiday drive to provide food for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, plus toys for children in needy families served by Metropolitan Ministries.

"It's a team effort; it's really the whole community," said Stan Reynolds, who, along with another volunteer, DeeDee Mathes, is coordinating the Plant City drive. Donations come from individuals, businesses, civic clubs, Scout groups, churches and synagogues, said Reynolds, a Metropolitan Ministries volunteer for about four years.

Having local donation sites makes it convenient for Plant City volunteers and easier to distribute donations to recipients living in the area, Reynolds said.

"Last year, about 700 boxes came from Tampa to Plant City," filled with food and toys, he said.

The drive primarily seeks food for holiday meals and Christmas gifts for children. Needed most are frozen turkeys or a gift certificate that will enable recipients to buy one. Overall, Metropolitan Ministries estimates it needs to collect 1 million pounds of food, including 24,000 turkeys. In Plant City, frozen turkeys are accepted at the Holiday Center location at Ferman of Plant City, 502 Park Road.

Other top needs include a variety of nonperishable food, especially cereal and canned fruit. Also needed are new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages, from infants through the teenage years. Metropolitan Ministries estimates it will need 70,000 toys this season.

Donations other than frozen turkeys are being accepted at several other Plant City locations:

•Myers Cleaners at 104 W. Grant St., 2806 James L. Redman Parkway, Village Plaza, Suite 207; and 1701 S. Alexander St., Suite 101.

•Hillsboro Bank, 509 W. Alexander St.

•Plant City Fire Rescue stations at 604 E. Alexander St. and 809 N. Alexander St.

•Badcock Home Furnishings Center, 703 S. Evers St.

Christmas donations will be distributed Dec. 20 through 23.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4433.

DONATION GUIDELINES

•Canned or boxed food (no glass)

•Requested items: gift certificates or frozen turkeys, hot/cold cereal, cranberry sauce, dessert mixes (pies, cakes, cookies), bag or box of dry beans (1 pound size), canned black beans, canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned yams, canned or packaged gravy, boxed or canned potatoes, bag or box of rice (1 pound), bag or box of stuffing mix, family-size box of gelatin or pudding

• Monetary donations and gift cards

•No bicycles

•For infants: rattles, early learning toys, cribs, bath toys

•For ages 1 to 4: preschool play sets, toy cars/trucks, blocks, dress-up clothes, baby dolls (the organization serves a racially diverse population), make-believe play sets

•For ages 5 to 11: clothing, action figures, board games, arts and crafts, fashion and baby dolls, play and building sets

•For ages 12 to 17: sports equipment, art supplies, CDs, CD players, headphones, DVDs, electronic games/toys, gift sets (makeup, cologne, bath and body items, manicure items), watches, jewelry, cameras and film, clothing

•Adults: gift sets, arts and craft supplies, shirts/blouses, sweaters, shoes, wallets/purses, watches, pocket New Testament Bibles, spiritual bookmarks, books/books on tape

INFORMATION: Call Stan Reynolds at (813) 309-0269 or Metropolitan Ministries at (813) 209-1034, or go to www.metromin.org.

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