Northpinellas: Good deeds exceed season

His shoulders weighted down by a heavy backpack, the blond 11-year-old trudges into the recreation center at Norton Apartments in Clearwater and eyes the bags of rolls and bread loaves spread across the tops of the folding tables.

His mother needs some bread, he whispers to Susan Armour, better known as Miss Sue to her neighbors.

What kind? she asks. Hot dog buns? Hamburger buns? He thinks for a minute.

"Bologna and cheese bread," he says.

Then, she snatches two loaves of soft butter bread from a box and thrusts them his way.

"Yeah," he says, his face brightening.

"His eyes had a sparkle in them," says Armour, 62, as the boy bounds out of the recreation center.

"That's what we do here," she says, at the makeshift food bank that she and other residents of Norton Apartments have created in the recreation room at the low-income apartment complex on South Greenwood Avenue.

Eyes are sparkling all around town, thanks to the deeds of people like Armour. Although some folks are moaning about crowded shopping malls, braving long lines at supermarkets and juggling hectic holiday schedules, others are so caught up in bringing holiday joy to others that the season's frenzy is merely an afterthought.

Here's an introduction to a few of them.

Armed with a gift for persuasion, Armour calls local grocery stores seeking donations. On the days food comes in, the food bank committee throws the recreation center doors open so residents of the complex and others living nearby can stroll in and choose from among canned soups, bread loaves, danish and cookies.

All the food is free.

"We serve the whole community, not just the 48 units here," said Armour. "I just get on the phone and beg. I'm persistent. When I want something, I just go. It's for a good cause."

Armour's been at this for a year, persuading Albertson's, Swanson's Market, Religious Community Services Food Pantry and individuals to donate food.

Georgina Silver, a 22-year resident of Norton Apartments and the "phone commander" of the operation, takes calls from those willing to donate food. She arranges for the items to be picked up.

Armour advertises the goodies with a hand-painted sign that she sets up at the Norton Apartments entry. FREE BREAD, it says in giant red letters, with arrows pointing toward the recreation center.

Visitors to the food bank have filled three books with their signatures. Armour keeps them as evidence that the food is going to real people in need.

This is not Armour's first foray into community work. Three years ago, she spearheaded a drive to collect back-to-school supplies for Norton Apartments' children.

Because her heart is much larger than her bank account, Armour does her best to tap the generosity of others -- and not just at Christmas. The food pantry always can use food donations, although holiday goodies such as turkeys and hams are appreciated around this time, she said.

"We don't want to just do the holidays. We want to do it 12 months of the year," Armour said. "We want to help these people. If we can give them a few loaves of bread, this is going to help them.

"They're so glad to get it."

Instead of filling empty bellies, Sam DiPoto and his wife, Rose, fill Christmas stockings and toy chests throughout Pinellas County.

DiPoto, chairman of the Toys for Tots project in Pinellas County, has spent the past 17 years making sure children have happy holidays.

"We've always had a thing for helping kids," he said.

In the early days, the DiPotos took care of 75 families. They used to travel throughout the county stuffing toys into a 4- by 12-foot trailer. Now, they need four large trucks, and several cars and vans to transport toys for more than 800 families.

DiPoto, 71, started as a volunteer, but said he fell into the leadership role.

"Somebody got sick. I went in, and that was it. They had me," he said with a matter-of- fact smirk.

In June, DiPoto starts planning the toy drive, which is sponsored by the Marine Corps Reserve. Two-finger style, he types up letters to encourage local businesses to set out boxes for toy contributions. Then, he orders extra toys using monetary contributions.

DiPoto's planning ensures that things will run smoothly six months later. The week before Christmas, hundreds of families pile into the distribution center at the National Guard Armory to pick out toys. They choose from the mountains of puzzles, scooters, wagons and stuffed animals all sorted by age and gender.

For the DiPotos, giving back to the community is second nature.

"You've got to do something," they both said, almost in unison.

In fact, they make sure they do something for the community year round. Every Tuesday, DiPoto hits the streets in Morton Plant Hospital's Care Van to transport patients to their medical appointments. And every Thursday, he heads to the hospital's parking lot, where he escorts folks to and from their cars in a golf cart, while Mrs. DiPoto volunteers inside doing computer work.

DiPoto said he's looking for a worthy successor to chair the drive, but said every year he's reminded why he has stayed all these years.

This year, at the distribution center, he was approached by a smartly dressed woman who worked for one of the businesses that support the charity. When she was down and out 10 years ago, she told him, Toys for Tots supplied gifts for her 5-year-old son.

"I always picture the look on my son's face," she told DiPoto. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have had a Christmas."

Daisy Scout Troop 1024 of Palm Harbor also knows how to brighten the holidays. On Tuesday evening, they threw a party for a group of special-needs seniors at Balmoral Assisted Living Facility.

The troop, composed of 5- and 6-year-olds, descended on Castle Cove, a specialty-care unit for seniors in various stages of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

During the party, one lady timidly approached the door to the lounge and said, "I'd like to go in." At first, she stayed in a corner, where she sobbed softly. Then the director walked in and seated her directly in the center of the festivities.

"Crying is what she does most these days. She's at an advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease and has a lot of fear and trauma. It's really nice to see her join in," Peggy Connelly, director of Castle Cove, said.

It wasn't long before the woman's tears were gone. Her face lighted by a broad smile, she clutched a cookie in her trembling hand and watched the tykes twirl around the room.

Troop members, who are in kindergarten at Lake St. George and Highland Lakes Elementary schools, visit the seniors at the facility every Tuesday.

"It's the best thing that ever happened," Connelly said.

The troop's goal is to learn the Girl Scout Law and the Girl Scout Promise. "They certainly learn that here," Connelly said. "They have such open hearts, it's infectious to the residents."

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