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Food Basket Project Takes A Hit From Budget Cuts

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By LENORA LAKE

llake@tampatrib.com

Published: November 24, 2008

TAMPA - For more than 300 needy families in Hillsborough County, there will be no basket of food for Thanksgiving from county employees.

A long-standing tradition was lost for this year when the county's Homeless Recovery and Summer Foods program manager, who coordinated the volunteer project, was axed because of budget cuts. Bernadette White King's last day was Sept. 30.

Dave Rogoff, director of health and social services, said, "It was a voluntary program that we didn't know she was doing."

He said when the administration learned about the project and the Nov. 7 deadline to order the baskets, "it was too late to assign someone else. We will be doing the baskets at Christmas."

The project involved collecting donations from county employees for Christmas and Thanksgiving baskets. Last year 325 Thanksgiving baskets and 300 Christmas baskets were given to needy recipients who were recommended by the employees.

They often got the names through their churches, schools, organizations or communities.

King, who was not available for comment, ordered the baskets through the Share Florida Food Network for $25 each.

Abby Collens, marketing manager of Share, said the county is a Share partner and it goes back many years. She didn't know how many years the county had participated in Share, which is a nonprofit food distribution program.

Collens said 12,000 baskets are distributed throughout Florida for Thanksgivings although specific numbers for the Tampa Bay area are not available.

County employees are donating money for the Christmas baskets but have only until Dec. 5 to place the order for the food to be distributed Dec. 20.

Rogoff hopes county workers will be able to help more people this Christmas since they didn't do it for Thanksgiving.

"Next year we will go back and have both," he said. "This cutback has nothing to with the county budget or cutbacks in staff."

Correspondent Lenora Lake can be reached at (813) 865-4851.

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