Every year, the Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center hosts a Thanksgiving dinner that is free for any and all to attend. Lealman, an unincorporated area of Pinellas County located just west of St. Pete, is the focus of long-standing efforts to improve the conditions and quality of life for families living there. You can support the Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center’s Thanksgiving dinner by donating at lanfc.org.

Since 2020, Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger has operated a Meals on Wheels 4 Kids “Holidays On Wheels” program to deliver food for a full holiday meal and toys to families for the holidays. Families with children in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties will receive a full Thanksgiving meal when they sign up for this program. You can donate to help fund the program or volunteer to deliver meals at networktoendhunger.org.

Suncoast Voices for Children is collecting $25 gift cards for Publix or Walmart to help foster families purchase a turkey, ham and other food items needed for Thanksgiving. If you are interested in donating, reach out to Shawn Burns at sburns@suncoastvoices.org. .

The City of St. Petersburg is looking for engaged residents to serve on the following boards and committees:  Advisory Commission on Aging – 2 vacancies Affordable Housing Advisory Committee – 2 vacancies Nuisance Abatement Board – 1 vacancy Public Arts Commission – 1 vacancy Social Services Allocation Committee – 2 vacancies Learn more + apply here: stpete.org/news_detail_T30_R1248.php

You can help beautify the City of St. Petersburg, address air quality issues and give back by becoming a Citizen Forester. Volunteers recently helped plant 183 trees in the Childs Park area, and more are scheduled to be planted soon. In the coming years, these plantings will clear up the air in the area while enhancing the tree canopy coverage. If you’d like to help with future efforts, visit this website to learn more about becoming a Citizen Forester: https://form.jotform.com/cospmkt/citizen_forester_program

Daystar Life Center is hosting a toy donation drive now through Dec. 6, in time for the organization’s Winter Holiday Festival Dec. 8. Daystar staff wants to make sure every child who attends the festival receives a toy, since some children unfortunately do not receive gifts during the holidays. Daystar Life Center is collecting new toys for children of all ages and gift cards for teens. Donations can be dropped off at 1055 28th St. S., St. Petersburg. You can also call 727-618-6330 or email communityrelations@daystarlife.com to schedule a pick-up for large donations.

Support Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside by joining an evening under the Tennessee stars at the nonprofit’s Nashville Nights gala. On Friday, April 4, hundreds will gather together to boot, scoot and boogie at The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club for an impactful evening supporting the Habitat mission.  Visit this website to learn more about sponsorship opportunities: https://habitattbg.org/calendar/gala

Children’s Home Network is an organization with a mission to unlock the potential of at-risk children and families by providing compassionate and effective services that create opportunities for success. A new program called CHANCE provides services for kids in their care who are suspected or verified survivors of human trafficking. Children’s Home Network is currently looking for individuals who are interested in becoming safe homes for youth. CHANCE foster parents foster only one child and receive a range of support from the Children’s Home Network team. Each child is assigned a targeted case manager, a therapist that comes to the home two to five times a week and a life coach. For more information on becoming a foster parent in Hillsborough, Pinellas or Pasco County, call (813) 847-8554 or email letsfoster@childrenshomenetwork.org.

100 Good Guys – St. Pete is an organization dedicated to supporting area charities. Nonprofits apply to present at the organization’s quarterly meetings and a steering committee selects three nominees. Members each contribute $100 with a goal of raising $10,000, amplifying the impact of their donations. The group started as a counterpart to the successful 100 Women Who Care – St. Petersburg. At its fourth quarterly pitch event, the 100 Good Guys giving circle donated to three local charities: Parc Center for Disabilities: $10,000 The Kind Mouse Productions, Inc.: $1,000 Family Center on Deafness: $500 The group’s next quarterly pitch event is Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. at Bayboro Brewing,  2390 5th Ave. S., St. Petersburg. New members can join at the event or register online at 100goodguys.com.

Hurricanes Milton and Helene hit Tampa Bay hard, flooding neighborhoods, damaging homes and closing roads. In the aftermath of these storms, the Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund is active and collecting donations. So far, the Fund has garnered over $430,000 in donations, which will be directed toward vital recovery efforts like housing, food, medical care and emotional support for those impacted. While many in our communities still work to recover, the fund is actively providing grants and focusing on long-term planning to strengthen community resilience. This initiative – a collaboration between Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Pinellas Community Foundation and United Way Suncoast – was created to strengthen Tampa Bay’s resilience for the future. Click here to donate online: https://pinellascf.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8949abd38b017468d305bec38&id=d6b1ed8a70&e=5ca2b1608b