Left to right: Chris Preston, Katee Morales, Nicole Beaupre, Roxanne DePew, Sam Bracero, Lazarus Dawson, and Terry Garlets

TM employee Malay Raval (far right) volunteering to keep IRB beautiful.

In September the Outreach Committee volunteered with Keep Pinellas Beautiful to clean up Indian Rocks beach. Every pound of trash removed by KPB Volunteers has a profound impact on our environment. The entire ecosystem benefits-from the ospreys to the sea turtles. This ensures our native flora and fauna continue to thrive for generations to come and, in turn, future residents get to enjoy the natural splendor that makes Pinellas County the beautiful place it is. We plan to be back there in November with even more volunteers. In December, we will be in Dunedin on the causeway helping to keep those beaches clean and beautiful.

Katee Morales was the lucky winner of a hammock chair to relax in after a long workday or on the weekend.

The Outreach team also had a fundraiser called, “What’s in the Mystery Can”? This can, without a label, was found while volunteering. For $1.00 employees gave their best guess as to what was in the can. We had a pizza lunch and opened the can in front of everyone. It was black beans. There were 4 people who guessed correctly so they each got a ticket. The winner was drawn for a hammock chair, generously donated by Tampa Microwave.  This was a fun way to raise a few dollars toward purchasing lunch for Pinellas Hope. This not-for- profit is a temporary shelter for homeless men and women. They offer three meals a day, which are possible through generous donations by local businesses.  Each person has a case manager to assist them with their pursuit of self-efficiency by providing them with services like adult education, mental health services, medical services, and much more. This non-profit, like so many, is struggling to stay afloat. We hope to ease their burden a little by providing lunch for about 140 homeless people.

TM’s Outreach committee made a donation to the Pinellas County Fraternal Order of Police. Four times a year, they reach out to request donations. This donation is for the families of officers killed or wounded in the line of duty. In November they will ask for donations for their annual holiday drive. This supports underprivileged children in Pinellas County. February will kick off their youth drug prevention and education program which gives kids an alternative to drugs. The fourth donation, around April will be for the summer sports programs. The FOP gives financial support for programs that provide organized sports to keep kids safe during the summer. We are proud to partner with the FOP.

Pictured L-R Terry Garletts, Tom Cummings, and Chris Preston.

In August, TM’s Outreach continued to focus on HOB Giveback and Good Neighbors in Dunedin. Each week since last month, we have had at least two TM employees on site each Saturday morning to help unload the food, set it up, and assist the people and families in need with getting nutritious food for the coming week. TM is crushing this challenge to have at least one employee there each week!

The Outreach Committee purchased 25 backpacks and school supplies. The backpacks were distributed to TM employees with young school-aged children from preschool through elementary school. There were 16 backpacks with school supplies given to the TM employees. The remaining nine were donated to Good Neighbors to distribute to families that are in transitional housing and could not otherwise afford the backpack and supplies.