Dennis A. LeBlanc, 51, 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 ...

Retired educator honored for sowing seeds in lives of county’s youth

It is a peaceful space that A. Ronald Hudson finds filled with restful moments amid the citrus groves. Here in the orchard, the lessons of harvesting and sowing remain a constant in life – in and out of the field. “I would go in the grove, get on my tractor and forget about everything else,” said the longtime educator, of the therapeutic feeling he gets from minding the land, years after trading in a life of walking the school hallways and guiding students. “I’m strictly a nature person,” said Hudson, who turned 93 on July 1, talking of tending to the soil, planting oranges and grapefruit about a mile from his Vero Beach home. Hudson worked in the citrus groves ...