By Mayor Jim Ronecker, City of Oldsmar

Need food, clothing or other items, supplemental assistance with rent or utilities? It is not just a statement of fact … Oldsmar Cares. Oldsmar Cares, formed in 1997, became a 501(c)(3) organization in 2009 and rapidly grew to be a shining example of volunteerism and an efficient delivery system. Oldsmar City Council proudly supports Oldsmar Cares, the go-to organization for Oldsmar residents seeking emergency assistance.

Although Oldsmar Cares’ host site is the Community United Methodist Church of Oldsmar located at 207 Buckingham Ave. E., donations come from caring citizens, businesses, schools, clubs and churches throughout and beyond Oldsmar City limits. The backbone of Oldsmar Cares is a team of dedicated volunteers serving as ardent supporters, promoters, fundraisers, organizers and coordinators.

Here are examples of what Oldsmar Cares accomplished in one year! More than $30,000 was raised and paid out to assist Oldsmar residents with electric, water, rent and mortgage bills – almost twice as much as the prior year. Oldsmar Cares’ food pantry stays busy with an average 100 visits from mayor’s corner residents per month. There were 28 Thanksgiving food baskets and tons (literally!) of food were distributed throughout the year thanks to generous donations. For example, Oldsmar Post Office’s Annual Food Drive resulted in 1500 bags of food collected from Oldsmar postal patrons, then distributed via Oldsmar Cares.

Contact Oldsmar Cares to donate or to learn about volunteer opportunities, such as helping at special events, assisting with the food pantry or clothes closet operations or picking up donations from the drop boxes located at Oldsmar City Hall, Oldsmar Library, Cypress Forest Recreation Center, Oldsmar Fire Rescue and Oldsmar Senior Center. For additional information, visit www.oldsmarcares.org or e-mail info@oldsmarcares.org.

Mayor Jim Ronecker can be contacted at jronecker@ci.oldsmar.fl.us or call the Oldsmar Answer Line at (813) 749-1100.