NEW PORT RICHEY — As rain fell much of the day, volunteers last week handed out some 2,000 blankets to people without permanent shelter during the 2017 Pasco County homeless count.
The office of Pasco Tax Collector Mike Fasano stitched together a coalition of nonprofit groups to order the blankets.
Sharlo Ward, a customer service supervisor in the Tax Collector’s Office in Land O’ Lakes, knew Beth Ross, who had formed nonprofit Blanket Tampa Bay, Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano explained. A charity drive raised donations for Blanket Tampa Bay.
About the same time, Farm Share organizers asked Fasano and his team if they would like to expand upon the food giveaway each December.
The coalition decided to piggyback onto the Feb. 22 homeless census, the Point in Time Count.
A minimum order of 2,000 blankets was placed with Farm Share, with hopes of ordering more blankets each year. The goal next year is 4,000 blankets.
The biggest problem, Giordano said, was finding locations that were big enough to store several pallets worth of blankets for the two or three days before the event. One of the planning group members located recycling companies that can take the empty boxes.
“Hopefully, every person counted will take a blanket and some food,” Giordano wrote in an email reply. “The volunteers were instructed to take any remaining blankets they may have and donate them to their local church. The Salvation Army has committed to taking any leftovers.”
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