Leroy Bethel, Vero Beach

‘Love is the key,’ – Miss Fran’s Helping Hands provides meals ahead of Thanksgiving

GIFFORD — A comforting aroma of love exudes from the kitchen at House of God Church located near the heart of Gifford. In the newly renovated food preparation area, organizers packed food trays with freshly cooked dressing, turkey and gravy, green beans, peas and rice along with rolls and homemade pound cake. Members of Miss Fran's Helping Hands of Indian River County, wearing their signature bright yellow shirts, handed out more than 200 free Thanksgiving meals at the church on Saturday and also delivered the plates to various residences. The event was one of several meal giveaways taking place in Indian River County ahead of the holiday. "I've always had a passion for helping people. That's what we're supposed to ...

‘Drawing people together’: GYAC Turkey Giveaway brings happiness, laughter

GIFFORD — Turkey giveaways are not just about the food, but also about building community relationships through service and laughter, organizers say. That's the mantra that leaders with the Gifford Youth Achievement Center held as they passed out 200 turkeys to families during the 18th Annual Turkey Giveaway on Monday evening. "Service is the pillar to building a solid community," said event co-organizer Freddie Woolfork, GYAC's longtime director of public relations and facilities operations. "The volunteers here are helping out while also getting to know each other, writing down each other's phone numbers and knowing their names. This is about finding common ground and working as a team." As the holiday season quickly approaches, community leaders want to make sure ...

Missing pilot who took off from Sebastian found dead in Bahamas

A missing pilot who took off from Sebastian Municipal Airport earlier this week was found dead inside his plane in the Bahamas, according to U.S. Embassy Nassau officials. Christopher Moore's wife, Stayce Love, led search efforts in the Bahamas to find her husband. A private search team located the aircraft Thursday in a marshy area in the vicinity of Marsh Harbour, said Connor Pascale, Coast Guard Liaison officer with the U.S. Embassy Nassau. Marsh Harbour is a town in the Abaco islands. The team found Moore's body in the red, white and blue aircraft. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force, U.S. Coast Guard and family and friends of Moore had searched for any sign of the man or the plane since ...