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Fundraiser, Food Drive May End In Haircut

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By GEOFF FOX, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - Charlie Reese has promised to shave the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' logo into his thick, salt-and-pepper hair if local businesses donate $25,000 for the next Habitat for Humanity house in central Pasco County.

Reese's eyebrow-raising declaration came recently as he described the Harvest for Humanity program, meant to raise money for the nonprofit Christian home-building agency and collect food for Christian Social Services on U.S. 41.

'A food drive collects nonperishable food, but we figured why not make it like a walk-a-thon and get people to pledge per item,' said Reese, who sits on Habitat for Humanity of Central Pasco County's board of directors. 'We want to involve students, kids, local businesses and their employees.

'We'll put boxes in their buildings and fill them with cans. Businesses can either make a pledge or do a flat donation. I'm hoping that the school principals will help us out on this, too.'

The Soule Co. in Land O' Lakes is donating the boxes, which can be picked up by Habitat volunteers.

Reese acknowledged that persuading 100 businesses to give $200 each - and 200 people to donate $25 apiece - is an ambitious goal, especially because the drive is just under way and ends Oct. 27.

But the program is necessary, he said, because Christian Social Services often has to buy the food it distributes around the winter holidays from local food banks. Also, rising construction costs and land values make it more challenging for Habitat to build homes for the underprivileged.

Reese said $25,000 should be enough to purchase a lot and materials for the next Habitat home in central Pasco. The one most recently finished there cost about $75,000 to build, but many of the materials were donated by local builders. The house is in Pasco Lake Estates off U.S. 41, about 4 1/2 miles north of State Road 52.

The next house could cost more than $90,000 to build, Reese said.
Habitat board members, local chambers of commerce and members of the Young Executive Society of Pasco are spreading word of Harvest for Humanity.

'We've never done anything like this before,' Reese said. 'We wanted to do something different.'

For information, call him at (813) 787-3500 or visit www.hfhofcentralpasco.org.

Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 948-4217 or gfox@tampatrib.com.

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