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Activity center seeks support for senior fair

By TIMES WIRES
Published August 19, 2007

PALM HARBOR

The Palm Harbor Community Activity Center is looking for vendors to participate in its senior health fair on Oct. 4. Call (727) 771-6000 or visit www.phrec.org for information.

PALM HARBOR

Artists work sought for annual festival

Artist applications for the 33rd Annual Fine Arts, Crafts and Music Festival are available through the Greater Palm Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce, 1151 Nebraska Ave., Palm Harbor. Deadline for applications for the juried show is Sept. 11. Call (727) 784-4287 or visit www.palmharborcc.org/newsevents/decartfest.asp.

COUNTYWIDE

PSTA collecting items to send to the troops

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is collecting items to send to service members overseas.

The agency's goal is to fill several buses with items for men and women in the military and deliver them to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, where base personnel will send them to the troops.

Items needed include insect repellent, sunblock, lip balm, breath mints, disposable cameras, batteries, stationery, stamps, prepaid phone cards, paperback books and magazines, microwave popcorn, instant oatmeal and coffee, tea bags and powdered hot chocolate.

Donations may be dropped off during business hours on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends at the Park Street customer service center, Park Street and Garden Avenue in Clearwater.

To learn more, visit www.PSTA.net.

Are phone books cluttering your home?

New phone books have arrived, so recycle that old one.

Residents with curbside collection in Belleair, Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo and Oldsmar can put their old phone books in their curbside recycling bin. Other residents can go to one of 40 dropoff locations around the county.

Most dropoff sites have bins labeled "phone books." If not, put the phone books in the "mixed paper" or "magazines" bins but not in the "newspaper" bin. For a list of phone book recycling sites, visit www.pinellascounty.org/utilities or call (727) 464-7500.

Pinellas residents discard more than 2-million phone books annually.

To reduce the number of phone books delivered to your office or house this year, call Verizon at 1-800-888-8448 or Yellow Book at 1-800-929-3556.

Lower cat adoption fee at shelter this month

Find a furry feline friend for a reduced adoption fee of $20 through this month at Pinellas County Animal Services, 12450 Ulmerton Road, Largo.

Kittens of every stripe are pouncing on each other as they wait for homes. They are already vaccinated, spayed and neutered. Call (727) 582-2600.

Many more mature cats are available there, too, and at such other shelters as the SPCA of Tampa Bay, 9099 130th Ave N, Largo, (727) 586-3591, and the Humane Society of Pinellas, 3040 State Road 590, Clearwater, (727) 797-7722. Also, the Humane Society is seeking donations of plastic cat carriers.

Arbor Day group offers pocket guide to trees

Can you spot the difference between a poplar and pine? What Tree is That?, a 72-page pocket guide to distinguishing trees is available from the National Arbor Day Foundation. For a copy send you name, address and $3 for each book to 100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, Neb., 68410 or online at www.arborday.org.

Join the team to fill backpacks for kids

The Junior League of Clearwater-Dunedin is teaming up with Clothes To Kids to provide backpacks filled with school supplies and a week's supply of school clothes to 100 low-income Pinellas County schoolchildren.

The Junior League says donations of $15 will help a child begin the school year with confidence as he or she enters the classroom.

Checks can be made out to Junior League and mailed to Junior League of Clearwater-Dunedin, 1265 Bayshore Blvd., Dunedin 34698, Attn: Community Outreach-Back To School Fair.

Founded in 2002, Clothes To Kids, 1059 N Hercules Ave., provides free new and quality used clothing to low-income children in Pinellas County. Call 441-5050 or visit www.clothestokids.org.

Don't fall for plots to 'fix' your water

Pinellas County and city of Clearwater officials say they have received complaints that at least one local water treatment company claims to represent the county to gain entrance to homes and inspect faucets or hot water heaters in an effort to sell expensive water treatment systems.

The companies are not endorsed by or affiliated with any government agency, and county utility employees would never try to sell an "upgrade" to a home's plumbing.

Consumers should be wary of unexpected visits or gifts from water companies, sales people who add thickening agents to water to solidify harmless minerals, high prices and scare tactics, officials say.

To learn more about Pinellas County water quality, call (727) 464-4000. To learn more about Clearwater's water, call (727) 562-4600.

To investigate a company's business history, call the Department of Consumer Protection at (727) 464-6200 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/consumer and click on "Check a business."

Clearwater officials say residents who feel they have been misled should call the state Attorney General's Economic Crimes unit, 3507 Frontage Road, Suite 325, Tampa, FL 33607 or call the office at (813) 287-7900.

SAFETY HARBOR

Paint Your Heart Out seeks homes to paint

Paint Your Heart Out, a group that provides house painting to five neighbors in need, is seeking candidates for houses to paint next spring. The group paints houses for people who are financially or physically in need. The group also does landscaping and minor repairs to houses. Call (727) 724-1555, ext. 406.

DUNEDIN

'We fix It' program seeks volunteers

Can you fix stuff? The Hale Activity Center is seeking adults 50 and older to join the 20-year-old "We fix It" referral program which pairs seniors in need of odd jobs with handy helpers. Experienced workers are needed in a variety of tasks including, light carpentry and electric work.

Volunteers also are needed to help staff the center's gift shopt during normal business hours.Volunteer shifts would be for three hours once a week Monday through Friday.

The center is at 330 Douglas Ave. Call (727) 298-3299.

CLEARWATER

Friends of Library seeking donations

CLEARWATER - Before silverfish overrun your old paperback collection, why not donate it? The Friends of the Library Book & Gift Store in Clearwater's Main Library is seeking donations of paperback books in good condition for resale in the store.

Bring your donations to the Main Library or call Judy Bazata at 461-6272 if pickup is needed.

Proceeds from the Friends of the Clearwater Library bookstores are used to enhance the Clearwater Public Library system.

The store also needs volunteers to work certain days and hours. A short training session is required. The Friends Book & Gift Store is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Work hours are variable, generally two hours a week. To volunteer call Rosalie Murray at 531-0667.

[Last modified August 18, 2007, 21:43:53]