Caring & Sharing of South Santa Rosa offers annual Holiday Helping Hand

MILTON — Are you or someone you know in need of holiday assistance this year? Caring & Sharing of South Santa Rosa County can help. 

Area residents in need of help for Thanksgiving and Christmas may register for assistance from Caring & Sharing of South Santa Rosa County.

The non-profit organization has helped area residents for more than 40 years. It annually provides Thanksgiving and Christmas food/grocery cards, clothing cards through Interfaith Ministries, gifts for children born after 12/31/2008, and gift cards for teens still in high school.

Food distribution is a full box of nonperishable food items (perishable gift cards cannot be guaranteed if you are not registered on scheduled dates).

Any individual or family in need this holiday season must attend one of three registration sessions. Registrations must be approved to receive assistance.

People must register to be eligible for these benefits during any of the following dates and times:

  • 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16 and Sunday, Oct. 17.
  • 5-8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 18.

The only registration location is Liberty Church, 6006 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, (next to Meredith Lumber on U.S. Highway 98).

To abide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for COVID-19 safe practices, Caring and Sharing registration will be done as a drive-through process. All registrants will need to remain in their vehicles during this drive-through process.

Those who apply for assistance must live in south Santa Rosa County within these boundary lines: east to Okaloosa/Santa Rosa County line; north to Yellow River Bridge; and west to include Gulf Breeze and Pensacola and Navarre beaches.

They must bring the following information to registration: proof of identity, proof of residence, and proof of household income, as well as a downloadable registration form, which is at the organization’s website, https://santarosacares.org/index.php/client-information/.

Thanksgiving distribution will be Nov. 21, and Christmas distribution will be on Dec. 19.

Those with registration questions or wishing to volunteer or donate may contact Caring & Sharing at 850-396-0321. The calls will be returned by a volunteer member of the organization’s leadership. They may also visit the website, www.santarosacares.org.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosas Press Gazette: Caring & Sharing of South Santa Rosa offers annual Holiday Helping Hand