Search results for

St. Matthew’s House, a Collier-based nonprofit dedicated to fighting hunger, homelessness and addiction, has changed its food pantry model to meet increased needs for no-cost food.

United Way of Collier and the Keys is offering free tax assistance for Collier County residents earning 66 thousand dollars or less in 2024 through their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA program.

Christmas Day marked the 109th annual Christmas Celebration held at the Dr. Piper Center in Dunbar. The event has a long and rich history, first taking place in 1915.The mother of Ella Mae Piper, the Fort Myers trailblazer who the Dr. Piper Center is named for, started the event that year by treating just 15 little girls from Dunbar to Christmas dinner. After her mother’s death in 1926, Piper continued the tradition. She used her connections as a local entrepreneur to gather donations and support for the event from the community each year. The event has evolved into a day where children from all across Southwest Florida can receive free Christmas gifts.

Florida Southwestern State College will launch the region's first teacher apprenticeship program this fall semester. The program allows local paraprofessionals to gain paid, hands-on experience in a classroom over a two-year period.

One in 12 seniors in Southwest Florida experiences food insecurity. That number is a result of many factors that include inflation, expensive housing in the region, and aging-related medical expenses. Harry Chapin Food Bank’s Care and Share senior feeding program seeks to alleviate these economic pressures by giving seniors monthly free meal kits.

Florida Congressional District 18, which consists of Hendry, Glades, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, and parts of Polk and Collier counties, has its U.S. House of Representatives seat up for reelection this year.

Southwest Florida’s growing population and rapid development means there’s always a construction project happening. But due to our coastal location, we’re also one of the hurricane capitals of the world.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission completed a revegetation effort on Lake Okeechobee last week, improving the habitat in Fisheating Bay, Moore Haven Marsh, and the Fisheating Bay islands.

Tim Carney, the last American ambassador to Sudan before the United States downgraded relations in 1997, wants to promote a broader view of the country through a new collection of photographs. NPR foreign correspondent Michele Kelemen reviews Carney's book, Sudan: The Land and the People.

After 40 years of working in politics, pundit Mark Shields has seen the best and worst of our democracy. But he still believes good politics and courageous politicians can benefit our society.