Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay (RTTB) will distribute free hurricane relief kits at the St. Petersburg office it shares with Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties. The giveaway is Thursday at 1350 22nd St. S. from 3 p.m. through 5 p.m. or while supplies last. RTTB provides home repairs, housing, education and other assistance at no cost.
Low-income seniors can now apply to the My Safe Florida Home program, which provides up to $10,000 for storm-hardening upgrades and could lower insurance costs. The deadline for those aged 60 and older is July 15, and other low-income homeowners can apply from July 16 through July 30. Moderate-income households can participate from July 31 through Aug. 15. For more information, visit the website here.
The City of St. Petersburg has launched “St. Pete Votes!,” a civic engagement campaign to encourage voter registration and participation. In 2022, the city council approved aligning municipal elections with the county, state and federal cycles. The registration deadline is July 22, and early voting for city council primaries begins Aug. 10. For more information on the initiative, visit the website here.
The Valspar Championship’s “Paint the Town Green” Charity Caravan recently visited and delivered checks to 25 local charities after the tournament raised $1.3 million in March. Copperhead Charities operates the PGA Tour event at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor. Over 130,000 fans attended the 2024 tournament, and the organization has raised over $51 million for local nonprofits since 1977.
The St. Pete Youth Farm will celebrate five years of community impact at a “Growiversary” event Saturday. What began in June 2019 as an eight-week pilot program has since blossomed into a city asset that has served over 110 teens and young adults. The public anniversary celebration runs from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at 1664 12th St. S. and features free food, games, tours and art activities.
The City of St. Petersburg’s Bay Vista Recreation Center is hosting a school supply drive to help elementary and middle school students prepare for the upcoming school year. The facility, at 7000 4th St. S., accepts donations of new items Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., until July 31. For more information, contact the center at 727-893-7124.
St. Petersburg officials encourage residents and neighborhood organizations to submit local projects for consideration in the city’s annual CareFest event. Volunteers will help with yard work, painting, neighborhood cleanups, donation drives and beautification projects. Amy Foster, housing and neighborhood services administrator, said volunteers completed over 400 projects in 2023, and “CareFest embodies the spirit of St. Pete.” For more information, visit the website here.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital is again participating in St. Petersburg’s Summer Break Spot initiative to help provide families with nutritious meals during the summer break. Children under 18 can visit the facility’s cafeteria between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and receive a free lunch until Aug. 6. The program is open to the public, and the hospital’s food service team provides the meals.
The first area students to participate in Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay’s innovative entrepreneurial program have now graduated, with seven splitting $32,000 in scholarships to further their education. The 3DE instructional model launched in 2020 at Chamberlain, Dunedin, Hillsborough and St. Petersburg High Schools with support from local businesses like Raymond James and ReliaQuest. The program will expand to nine schools in August, with Largo and Seminole High Schools joining in 2025.
Pinellas County Schools needs more incoming eighth and ninth-grade girls to enroll in the inaugural Girls Construction Camp. The July 22-25 event, sponsored by the National Association of Women in Construction and iBuild, is free for the first 20 enrollees and features daily activities, guest speakers and provided lunches. The Richard O. Jacobson Technical High School will host the camp from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. For more information, email Mike McCullough at mcculloughm@pcsb.org.
In response to rising land costs and construction prices, Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties is launching an offshoot of its popular annual golf tournament, called the "Golfing Fore Habitat Topgolf Challenge." The reimagined fundraiser is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 21 from 12-4 p.m. at Topgolf St. Petersburg.
The St. Petersburg City Council approved a $946,365 grant May 17 that will provide $500 monthly payments to youth aging out of foster care, with no strings attached. Ready for Life, Inc. will disburse the funding to former foster children aged 18-27. The nonprofit supports 88 young adults, and many leave its group homes with nowhere to live.
