On Sept. 23, West Citrus Elks Lodge 2693 volunteers met for the monthly session of packaging weekend food for children.
Using Florida State Elks Association matching funds from the Elks National Foundation
Beacon Grant, the lodge presented the Citrus County Blessings organization in Lecanto, Florida, with a check for $1,000. Blessings is a group that supplies children from all of Citrus County with food to eat on the weekends.
Lodge members and Blessings personnel at the check presentation are Sandy Hendron; Jeanne Brier; Gail Bockario, assistant vice chair of Blessings; Christina Reed, executive director of blessings; Donna Hayes; Ed James; Kris Estus; Brian Estus; and Cheryl Brett.

So many people use Amazon, and if you're like us, more than you'd like to admit!  With AmazonSmile, you can select a charity to give back as you shop.

​Setting up AmazonSmile

• When you shop at AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. You can choose from over one million organizations to support.  
• To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com on your web browser or activate AmazonSmile on your Amazon Shopping app on your iOS or Android phone 
• On your first visit to smile.amazon.com, you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make through AmazonSmile will result in a donation. AmazonSmile will occasionally contact you about donation amounts disbursed to your chosen charity or about the program.  

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Already have AmazonSmile & want to change to give to Blessings?
You can change your charity any time. Your AmazonSmile purchases after the change count towards your newly selected charity. To change your charity on your web browser, simply select "Change your Charity" in "Your Account." You can also visit AmazonSmile under settings on your Amazon Shopping app and select "Change your Charity."  

Make sure you like our Facebook page and check back with the "Events" page on our website for important updates and news for our upcoming fundraiser. Details will be released soon!

The members of the Walden Woods North Social Club made a generous donation from the proceeds of a recent bake sale. The club wanted to give back to a cause where they knew the organization was helping individuals hit hardest by the pandemic. Citrus County Blessings is extremely grateful for the donation, in anticipation of increased numbers for the upcoming school year. 

Each year for the past 25 years the Citrus County Chronicle has hosted the Best of the Best contest. This year they added a new section named 'People in Your Community". Citrus county community members and readers of the Chronicle voted and we are pleased to have been chosen for Honorable Mention this year.  It means a lot to be recognized by our community and we are extremely thankful for the support! - Christina Reed, Executive Director, Citrus County Blessings

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. 

One of our local businesses gave the Blessing's truck a new look recently. Wraptors, off of Gulf to Lake hwy in Lecanto, dressed up the truck this spring. "We always get a smile and a wave when we are out and about now", say Reed, Executive Director. 

​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.