Author: Brandi

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Lake Support and Emergency Recovery, Inc. (LASER) to collect food items to meet the immediate needs of Lake County families struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The food drive begins on Saturday, March 28 and will remain active until further notice. The hours for making donations will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at the following locations:

• North Lake County: First Baptist Church of Umatilla, 550 Hatfield Drive, Umatilla

• Central Lake County: Lake County Jail, 551 West Main Street, Tavares (west end)

• South Lake County: Real Life Church of Clermont, 1501 Steves Road, Clermont

Items being sought include non-perishable foods such as peanut butter, canned meats, canned meals, snack bars, boxed cereal, canned fruits, and canned vegetables, etc. As these items are collected, they will be delivered to local food pantries throughout the county for the immediate distribution to families in need.

This food drive is a collaborative effort between the Sheriff’s Office, LASER, and the aforementioned churches and is being coordinated by Mrs. Tandy Hammond of South Lake Community Ministries. For more information on local food pantries, Mrs. Hammond can be reached at 352-340-1178.

LASER, a non-profit, 501c3 organization, is seeking monetary donations from the community to help with this cause.

Lake Support and Emergency Recovery (LASER) announced that a five churches and the Realtor’s Association of Lake and Sumter county have partnered with LASER to host a blood drive.  LASER’s One Blood One Drive will be taking place at several locations throughout Lake County.  LASER’s One Blood One Drive requests that you register in advance, please go to the links attached at the location you would like to donate to complete your registration.  The following times and locations are below:

– March 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church Umatilla, located at 550 Hatfield Dr. in Umatilla.
To make an appointment, visit https://donor.oneblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/935896

– March 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Grace City Church, located at 32441 CR 437 in Sorrento.
To make an appointment, visit https://donor.oneblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/935897

– April 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Church at South Lake, located at 1860 Hancock Road in Clermont.
To make an appointment, visit https://donor.oneblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/935886

– April 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Liberty Baptist Clermont, located at 11043 True Life Way in Clermont.
To make an appointment, visit https://donor.oneblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/935887

– April 5 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Real Life (Clermont), located at 1501 Steves Rd. in Clermont.
To make an appointment, visit https://donor.oneblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/935901

– April 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Realtors Association of Lake and Sumter County, located at 3001 S.R. 19 in Tavares.
To make an appointment, visit https://donor.oneblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/935888

For more information, please call (352) 241-2104 or email Nicole@laserfl.com