Caring Center continues to offer assistance to those in need
Residents of Cape Coral have always been generous when it comes to donations to the Cape Coral Caring Center to keep the shelves from becoming bare of food, especially around the holidays. This year is no exception.
Despite the fact the center just provided food to about 325 families for Thanksgiving, the shelves remain relatively stocked.
“Donations have been great over the past few years,” said Julie Ferguson, executive director of the facility. “It has been much better this year and we are so appreciative. We’re doing O.K. We’re still helping families take home more than just a couple of cans.”
The center is gearing up to provide food and toys to about 350 families for Christmas. It is looking for any donations that a person might put into a holiday bag. Perishable food items, including hams and turkeys, are accepted along with traditional non-perishable items.
“For the perishable items, we like people to call ahead just to make sure we have room in our freezers,” said Ferguson. “People can come here and if they financially qualify, they will walk out with food right then.”
Since the center opened in 1990, the agency has helped more than 75,000 Cape residents on a short-term basis. Most clients just need a boost to get through an uncomfortable time in their life because of economic, temporary financial crisis or other circumstances.
All it takes to get assistance is by showing a driver’s license or Florida ID with a Cape Coral address, but the staff stresses it can not provide long-term assistance. The center only bridges the gap caused by some emergency.
For the Thanksgiving rush, students at Patriot Elementary School for the second your in a row used a donation of cereal to the Caring Center as a math exercise. By knowing the ounces of cereal, they were able to figure out how many meals they provided for families.
While the center receives some funding from the city of Cape Coral, it relies heavily on the generosity of the community for virtually everything year round. Not only does the center give to families in need, it also receives.
Ferguson said volunteers from the two Lowe’s locations in Cape Coral recently painted the inside of the building, installed new carpeting and flooring.
“It looks so good inside it drew attention to the condition of the outside,” said Ferguson.
On Saturday, volunteers from Frank & Sons Moving & Storage in Cape Coral will provide the labor to paint the exterior of the building.
Frank & Sons encourages anyone to come watch and bring food items for the center.
For more information call 945-1927, or visit the website www.capecoralcaringcenter.org