- April 25, 2024
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Claudia, Irmarie and Frank Casine load up some of the donated shoeboxes at the Community Holiday Shoebox Drive on Dec. 4 at the Lakewood Ranch Elks Lodge.
Lakewood Ranch residents Alice Hein and Maribeth Phillips started the Shoebox drive in 2006.
A crowd of more than 200 people donated shoeboxes and enjoyed their evening at the 16th annual Community Holiday Shoebox Drive and Reception at the Lakewood Ranch Elks Lodge Dec. 4.
Lakewood Ranch resident Veletta Tusa playfully poses with the girls' bike and helmet she won at the raffle. Tusa joked that she would be riding the bike, which was equipped with training wheels, around her community.
Kathy Martella checks out a pair of "mystery boxes" that were among the 29 items that were up for raffle at the reception.
Kathy Martella (left) and Maribeth Phillips present Bradenton's Paul Reddy the winning ticket for the 50/50 raffle. Reddy immediately donated his $250 prize back to Meals on Wheels Plus Manatee.
Marion Lopata, Ava Fhule and Maribeth Phillips have some fun at the selfie station.
Lakewood Ranch residents Paulette and Bill Davis take a Christmas-themed selfie.
Julianne Niebour sits with a stack of raffle tickets at the reception. The large number of tickets paid off for her as she won a tablet and a lamp.
Lou and Amy Towery load shoeboxes full of donated gifts into vans to be dispersed by Meals on Wheels Plus Manatee.
Phyllis and Chuck Stolteben entertain the crowd during the 16th annual Community Holiday Shoebox Drive and Reception at the Lakewood Ranch Elks Lodge Dec. 4.
Nearly 500 donated shoeboxes fill one of two vans at the Holiday Shoebox Drive at the Lakewood Ranch Elks on Dec. 4, 2021.
Photo by Scott LockwoodHaskell Gates organizes shoeboxes that had just been donated at the Lakewood Ranch Elks.
Josue Reyes and Stefanie McCabe drop off a truckload of shoeboxes on behalf of Girl Scouts Troop 140 for the Holiday Shoebox Reception on Dec. 4 at the Lakewood Ranch Elks Lodge.
Lakewood Ranch resident Jean Hritz figures out which prize she would like to win in the raffle.
Shawna Hicks-Cranston, Santa (Ron Lee) and Virginia Mitchell enjoy the reception.
Margarita Cordova and Barbara Milian, both of Lakewood Ranch, arrive with a large bag of shoeboxes full of gifts for homebound seniors of Manatee County.
Kaylee Grobler and Jackson Aquino were taking care of the shoebox donation drive-thru at the reception.
Lilly Gerling was all smiles after winning this giant stuffed unicorn in the raffle.
Meals on Wheels Plus Manatee President Maribeth Phillips shows off the contents of one of the donated shoeboxes that will be holiday gifts for seniors.
Meals on Wheels Plus Manatee Board Chairman Mark Goodson thanks those who donated shoeboxes during a reception at the Lakewood Ranch Elks Dec. 4
Grace Gerling, Landon Simphay, Lilly Gerling, Scarlet Knowles and Alexis Mariano have some fun in the selfie booth.
When Lakewood Ranch residents Maribeth Phillips and Alice Hein started filling and wrapping shoeboxes with little gifts to give to seniors in the community back in 2006, they had no idea that they would be starting one of the biggest holiday traditions in Manatee County.
That spirit was on full display on Dec. 4 as more than 200 members of the community – and even more that went through a drive-thru lane – donated enough shoeboxes to fill two cargo vans at the 16th annual Community Holiday Shoebox Drive and Reception at the Lakewood Ranch Elks.
The event serves as a benefit for Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee to provide shoeboxes filled with gifts to senior clients of the nonprofit. Phillips, the CEO and president of Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee, said the organization had a goal of 1,000 shoeboxes that had gifts ranging from toiletries to holiday trinkets for homebound seniors.
"Meals on Wheels Plus delivers meals every week to about 900 clients in Manatee County," Phillips said. "So this holiday, they will also get one of these beautiful shoe boxes as their holiday gift. In so many cases, this is the only item that a senior might get during the holidays, so it really has a lot of meaning and brings a lot of joy to our seniors. Sometimes, the person who delivers certain meals is the only person that they actually talk to."
Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee Board Chairman Mark Goodson said the organization was grateful for everyone that came out to help.
"When you go to these houses and you deliver food, you see their faces and they're so delighted to get the food," Goodson said. "Then they see you leave...and all of the sudden their faces change. You can see the worry on their faces because they won't see or talk to anyone else. We're so happy to be able to do this."
The night was filled with music, food and good times. Some of the raffle winners found humor in their winnings – especially Veletta Tusa, who won a girls bike that came outfitted with training wheels and a unicorn helmet. She jokingly said she planned on riding the small bike around her Lakewood Ranch neighborhood. Lilly Gerling won a stuffed unicorn that was nearly as big as she was.
As the night came to an end, Bradenton resident Paul Reddy had the winning ticket to the 50/50 raffle. Instead of keeping his $250 prize, he immediately donated the money back to Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee.
"This is just a wonderful community event," Phillips said. "It's an enjoyable thing and a great way to start the holiday season."
