Gift truck delivers solution

By JORGE SANCHEZ

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 29, 2000

LECANTO -- Hospice of Citrus County is an agency with a reputation for helping people at a time of crisis by providing home care to the terminally ill.

And when the agency needed a solution to a problem of its own, the owner of Nick Nicholas Ford in Inverness came through in a big way.

Hospice operates a thrift shop on State Road 44 W in Inverness near Independence Boulevard. The store sells used furniture and other items, but getting such bulky items as sofas and dining room tables to the store was a problem. The agency did not have a moving truck.

"We are always getting calls from people wanting to donate furniture, but we really had no way of picking it up," said Denise Tobin, community relations coordinator for Hospice.

The problem was solved when Nick and Lynda Nicholas donated a 2000 F-350 truck to Hospice. The truck, which resembles the type used by parcel delivery services, will make picking up furniture much easier, she said.

"It put all of our problems to rest," Tobin said.

The bright white truck is parked at the Hospice building on W Audubon Park Path in Lecanto and is already making pickups of donated items for the thrift shop.

The Nicholases were unavailable for comment Friday, but Tobin said the couple are big supporters of Hospice. She said the donation was made without much fanfare, and they didn't want a lot of publicity.

"A lot of people don't know this, but the former site of the thrift shop (U.S. 41 and Eden Drive) also belonged to them, and they let us use it for free."

To schedule a pickup for Hospice, call 527-2020.

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