ECHO To Offer Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, With Walmart Grant

Fresh fruits and vegetables will be offered daily to people in need who show up at the Emergency Care Help Organization in Brandon on Parsons Avenue, thanks to a $40,000 grant awarded by Walmart.

“We want to make sure that people can eat healthy despite their financial circumstances,” said Stacey Efaw, ECHO’s executive director, in a report on the grant.

She added that the grant allowed ECHO to purchase a truck from Roger Rivard Chevrolet that "will in turn allow us to pick up fresh produce from Feeding America and other establishments.”

Also from ECHO:

The food bank and clothes closet has an urgent need for the following items:

• Boys and girls socks, sizes 6 to 9½
• Boys underwear, sizes 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10
• Diapers, sizes 4 and 5
• Basic necessities for clients of all ages, including toothpaste, bar soap, deodorant, shampoo and feminine products.

Charity Thrift Sale

• The next Charity Thrift Sale, a monthly event, is scheduled for today, July 14, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ECHO is at 507 North Parsons Ave. in Brandon.

Next Up for the “Chick-fil-A Summer Fun Flicks” Event at AMC The Regency 20:

• Sponsored by Tammy and Paul Holmberg, proprietors of the Chick-fil-A restaurant at Lake Brandon Village, the “Chick-fil-A Summer Fun Flicks” program offers a family movie ticket for $1, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting ECHO. Next up, July 17, is Zookeeper. Brandon Patch has reported previously on the .

The 10th Annual Kids Helping Kids Fashion Show

• Models and sponsors are sought for the 10th Annual Kids Helping Kids Fashion Show, which this year is scheduled for Oct. 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. at HCC at The Regent in the Greater Brandon/Riverview community, at 6437 Watson Road. The fashion show is ECHO’s largest fundraiser of the year. For information, call Kathy Collins at 813-685-0935. Visit ECHO online and click the “events tab” for additional information, and to register to be a model.