Fruitland Heights Neighborhood Association in the Tampa Bay Times 1992
- Alexis Cole
- Apr 3, 2024
- 2 min read
Check out this cool article about the history of our neighborhood association! We stand on the shoulders of giants! That's what Fruitland Heights is all about, caring and helping our neighbors...and Tea Parties!
Published June 24, 1992
FRUITLAND HEIGHTS
One of the trademarks of the Fruitland Heights neighborhood is caring.
Almost a dozen years ago, two neighborhood residents joined forces to establish a neighborhood association. The Fruitland Heights Neighborhood Association represents residents in the area between 16th and 20th streets and 18th and 22nd avenues S.
Emma Jones, whose family still lives in the neighborhood, approached Johnnie Mack with the idea of forming a neighborhood association, which the two women did on Nov. 24, 1980.
Through the years, the association has been involved in numerous community projects, according to Mack, who has lived there since 1962. The association meets once a month.
In 1980, the association began sponsoring an Open Door Closet program to which neighbors donate clothing several times a year. The clothing is given to the needy once a year, usually in August, Mack said. There also is a Thanksgiving dinner held the third Sunday in November. Donated food is prepared and delivered to more than 300 sick people and shut-ins.
The association sponsors neighborhood clean-up projects and house paintings. About 45 homes have been painted in 12 years, Mack said. There also are socials, such as neighborhood picnics and tea parties.
The next neighborhood clean-up will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at 1836 20th Ave. S. There will be refreshments after the clean-up. There also will be a Sunday tea party.
Some of the other neighborhood projects include sending flowers to people who are ill and paying electric bills for the needy.
"We've done quite a bit of things in this neighborhood," Mack said.
Dozier Harrell, neighborhood association vice president, agreed.
"That's what the neighborhood is all about: caring for one another."
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