For the first three weeks of the summer "Feed the Kids" fresh produce program, Citrus County Blessings has seen an increase of double the number of participants from the previous year's program. "Normally our numbers fluctuate over the course of our summer program. With the pandemic we expected an increase in the number of families, however doubling the numbers from last year was more than expected.", explains Christina Reed, Executive Director. Thanks to the Community Food Bank sharing an opportunity provided by the USDA, all of the produce has been fresh from the farm and at no cost to the program. 

​We would like to welcome Lori to the Blessings family as our new Program Coordinator!

Lori McSherry-Swartz has a degree in Journalism from Michigan State University . She previously worked for Duke Energy from 2008-2019 in various positions, most recently as a root cause investigator in the Organizational Effectiveness department. Lori is also Prosci certified in Change Management.

She moved to Florida from the Chicago suburbs in 2007. She currently lives with her husband Jeff in the Pine Ridge area. Together they have six children: one in Orlando, one in New York City, one in Denver, two in Gainesville and one in St Petersburg.

She is excited about this opportunity with Citrus County Blessings and looks forward to making a difference for those in need in this County.

​To remain within the confines of the law and, importantly, to maintain transparency, Blessings hired the national accounting firm of Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC. After a complete review of all financial procedures and statements, the accounting firm did not recommend any material modifications be made to the accompanying financial statements for Blessings to be in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Citrus County Harvest believes in being transparent with the community and our donors. We believe that the conclusion of the accounting firm is the first of many important accomplishments in the financial realm to be added to our books. This success would not have been possible without the continuous guidance of Harvest’s volunteer treasurer, Tabitha Wells of Wells Business Solutions.

January 16, 2020
Citrus County Blessings Names Executive Director
Christina Reed has been named Executive Director of Citrus County Blessings. Reed has been the Interim Executive Director since September 2019 following her 3 years as Director of Operations for Blessings. 
“The Board of Directors has the utmost confidence in Christina’s ability to keep the program running smoothly as we work through a transition period. Christina represents Blessings in positive and professional manner and maintains great relationships with our many volunteers”, commented Tobey Phillips, Board Chair for Citrus County Harvest.
Citrus County Blessings is a program that operates under the umbrella of Citrus County Harvest and is committed to addressing weekend hunger for children in Citrus County. 
“I am excited to continue our mission to feed hungry children in our county,” explained Reed. “It is so gratifying to see the support of our volunteers and donors as they help us meet such a great need in our community.”
For more information about Citrus County Blessings, please contact 352-341-7707 or email christina@citruscountyblessings.org 

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