Longboat Key organizations step up to help

All along Longboat Key, organizations and individuals are stepping up to give what they can to the community, its first responders and those in need of assistance during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Garden Club of Longboat Key is making a $10,000 donation to the Manatee County Community Foundation, which will go to the Manatee County Food Bank to aid their Meals on Wheels Plus program. That donation is being matched by Ed Chiles, a longtime supporter of the club, who is providing $5,000 cash and $5,000 of in-kind services (workers, distribution, additional food) through the Chiles Group. 

With Chiles’ involvement, families will be able to receive boxes of fresh food from Worden Farms or Gamble Creek Farms, the latter of which is owned by Chiles. The joint effort is referred to as the “Farm to Food Bank” project. On Saturday, April 11, Chiles said more than 1,000 boxes will go out over the next five weeks. 

“Now we’re able to not have to plow under any veggies so we’re reducing all the waste,” Chiles Group CEO Chuck Wolfe said. “Now we can harvest all that in time and get it to people and keep people working through these times.”

A lot of the donation money will go to the hot meals for Meals on Wheels Plus, but families can receive a bushel of fresh produce, about enough organic produce to last a week. 

“We were trying to make a project fit with the Garden Club mission of environmental sustainability, and our people wanted to give do something for food banks,” Garden Club president Susan Phillips said. “Ed’s box of produce was our answer. We can sustain jobs and farming and feed the community, who is in desperate need of it.”

As of April 14, Phillips said the Garden Club had received donations from six members, including one of $1,000, plus another $5,000 from Poppo's Taqueria. Phillips wants to discuss with Chiles how they can bring the growing program to other counties and community farms. 

"It's something I think we can make happen, you just need to think about, 'What's the way to best make our philanthropy work in this time?'" Phillips said. "If we have this problem here, it's statewide." 

The town has seen several other examples of people helping people amid the coronavirus pandemic as organizations and individuals step up to give what they can. 

During the virtual town commission meeting on April 6, Longboat Key Commissioner BJ Bishop proposed each commissioner donate up to $100 to a fund that would provide lunch to town staff.

“Our staff is doing an amazing job,” Bishop said. “They are putting themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis, and we also know our restaurants are suffering a great deal.”

The fund would also support area restaurants still serving takeout or delivery, Bishop said.

“Importantly, it would be a way to say to our staff, ‘we know you guys are going 150% for us right now, and it is truly appreciated,’” Bishop said.

Last week, an anonymous resident dropped off Whitney’s gift cards to each of Longboat Key’s first responders.

“Just a small token of our appreciation for all you do for us!” an attached note read. “Thank you! ‘The guy who always waves to you when you pass.’”

The Rotary Club of Longboat Key is also stepping up to help the community’s first responders — and its local restaurants, too. They’re using funds that were earmarked for a barbecue in May to show appreciation for first responders, as well as donations from members of the club and community. Over $2,000 has come in for the project.

“As we are starting the planning for this (barbecue), we got hit cold in the face with COVID-19,” Rotary Club president Nancy Rozance said. “Why would we wait until May? Let’s do something now.”

Their first delivery of meals was on Easter Sunday, when dinners from Chart House were dropped off for the fire department, and more meals will be served on Monday and Tuesday from Blue Dolphin Cafe and Lazy Lobster. The club hopes to repeat this throughout the pandemic. 

The plan is to purchase meals from every Longboat Key restaurant that is open for takeout, said Joan Sherry, a Rotary member who is collecting the funds and helping organize the project. 

“When we talked through the program, we said, ‘Why don't we figure out a win-win and help support our local businesses, and the local restaurants specifically?’” Sherry said. “We get the business to the restaurants and then the first responders get the meals.”

Fire chief Paul Dezzi said Friday a resident is in the process of making 100 reusable cloth masks for the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department.

“She’s already given us a prototype,” Dezzi said. “We’ve checked it out. We agree with it… It’s pretty neat. She’s stepped up to the plate to help us.”