County looking for food bank aid

The Pasco Food Bank needs money for an expansion. The commission is considering funding possibilities that could help the agency.

By ALISA ULFERTS

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 21, 2000

DADE CITY -- What Ken Buck couldn't get from the governor, he might get from the County Commission.

The executive director of the Pasco Food Bank approached commissioners Tuesday with hat in hand, asking for their help to build a 5,000-square-foot addition to the food bank's Land O'Lakes headquarters.

Commissioners asked County Administrator John Gallagher to come up with a list of possible funding sources for the expansion.

"I have the feeling you're going to get some help from this board," Commissioner David H. "Hap" Clark said.

Buck had tried for two years to get the state to finance the expansion, but each time the money set aside by the Legislature was vetoed by Gov. Jeb Bush. This year, the governor axed a little more than $471,000 out of the budget; last year he vetoed the $139,000 state lawmakers put in the budget for the food bank.

"His (Bush's) veto pen did not run out of ink. I was vetoed -- twice," Buck said.

Worse, the food bank did not make the final cut for projects recommended for federal Community Development Block Grant money. Community Development Director Diane Morris said the food bank got $490,000 several years ago when it moved to its location on Ehren Cutoff, and her staff wanted to give other agencies a chance to compete for new federal dollars.

"They may all be good causes but there's only so much money to go around," Morris said.

Buck said he knows that well. If he can just scrape together $175,000 -- of which he estimates he can raise $50,000 on his own -- Buck said he'll be able to build a "bare bones" addition that will help him store more food for those who need it.

Right now, the food bank is spending $680 a month to lease six semitrailer trucks to store food. And it will have to pay another $200 a month for off-site storage once its 30-day free period is over, Buck said.

This comes at a time when the food bank, which primarily serves residents in Pasco County but extends into Hernando and Citrus counties, is facing more demand for its food. In 1998, the bank served the equivalent of 540,000 meals. In 1999, that number jumped to 1-million.

"Forty percent of the food at the food bank ends up in the stomachs of kids," Buck said.

Commissioners said they are willing to help out but want to make sure other organizations, such as the Hernando and Citrus county commissions or the churches that feed their flocks with food bank donations, are asked to give what they can.

Commission Chairwoman Pat Mulieri added that she's concerned because children who are not fed properly cannot learn.

"If we have children who are nourished we have savings -- school savings and health savings," Mulieri said.

In other action Tuesday, commissioners approved two annexations of land in the county by Dade City. One, a 16.6-acre parcel along State Road 52 adjacent to the county's John S. Burks Memorial Park, is owned by Zephyrhills real estate investor William Nye, who plans to build a regional shopping center there. The other parcel, 178.3 acres, is owned Darbra E. Campbell Adair and is northwest of State Road 52, west of Adair Road and northwest of Burks Park.

-- Staff writer Alisa Ulferts covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or (800) 333-7505, extension 6244. Her e-mail address is ulferts@sptimes.com.

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