WEEk of auguSt 16, 2023 FLIER INSIDE
Lunch on us Centennial Bank provides meal for entire staff at Pine Island Elementary — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 47, NumbEr 15
GPIA hands out supplies to islanders Materials provided thanks to donation from Lions Club By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
On Wednesday, Aug. 9, at the Pine Island United Methodist Church, the Greater Pine Island Alliance handed out supplies to islanders in need. Executive Director Erin Lollar-Lambert said the International Lions Club reached out to the GPIA asking if the island group could use supplies. With their own budget, $10,000 worth of drywall and insulation was delivered to the residents of Pine Island to use as needed. “It’s a great collaboration. We are definitely hoping
to work with them in the future. It took us 32 minutes to give away all $10,000 in supplies, so the need is still very great on the island. GPIA is working hard with all of our collaborators to continue to bring supplies to the island,” Lambert said. Fort Myers Lions Club President Jim Brown, who said he comes to Pine Island to fish on occasion, came to the giveaway event and reported that the event went like clock work. The money to fund the event, he said, came from the Lions Club International Foundation, which is a national organization.
“They have grants and they have disaster relief, so, immediately after the hurricane, Lions Club International was pumping money into this community,” Brown said. The event, he said, is a direct result of the involvement of the local Lions Club. The Lions Club International is concerned with world humanitarian outreach, which is then filtered down to the local Lions Club, which focuses on community needs. “They are, in fact, the boots on the ground. They see what needs to be done and they go after it,” Brown said. The appeal of the Lions Club, Brown said, is in its See SUPPLIES, page 7
Gulf Coast Writers Association set to publish ‘Storm Stories — Hurricane Ian’ By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
F.I.S.H.’s 23rd annual Back to School Basket Brigade for kids a huge success Special to The Eagle
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
special thanks to everyone for participating in the 2023/2024 F.I.S.H. (Fellow Islanders Spending Help) Back to School Basket Brigade Fair. This program provides clothing, gym shoes and gift cards for students whose families anticipate having difficulty in providing new items for the upcoming school year. A total of 198 children were registered for the program this year. F.I.S.H continued last year’s fair format but moved the program inside Wesley Hall at United Methodist Church, which featured many health and wellness products and services available in Southwest Florida to our island children. In addition to receiving their clothing and gift cards, each child received hygiene products, including new toothbrushes and toothpaste from the Greater Pine Island Food Pantry. Families were encouraged to bring their kids and walk through the stations with the opportunity to learn
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about the variety of services and resources offered by Lee Health. School supplies and vitals health check was offered by the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Department. The Lee County Sheriff’s Community Response Unit provided backpacks and school supplies for all children as well as brought their Community Outreach ice cream truck for all attendees to enjoy. In addition, Project Hope shared information on community resources, Beacon of Hope shared their services to all the families and Samaritan Health & Wellness Clinic and Dr. Sue shared her services of primary care services and mental health counseling. Samaritan Health & Wellness is located at the Beacon of Hope every other Wednesday by appointment only. See BASKET BRIGADE, page 14 Bags of school supplies collected through the F.I.S.H. Basket Brigade for island students. PHOTO PROVIDED BY DARCY CONNER
A collaborative effort to tell “Stories of Survival, Heroism and Humanity” has come together in “Storm Stories—Hurricane Ian.” With the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian making landfall in Southwest Florida approaching, the Gulf Coast Writers Association, in partnership with the Alliance for the Arts, will release a commemorative book complied from 83 submissions, including poetry and long narratives. The book’s cover art was done by renowned artist Leoma Lovegrove, who lost both her home and gallery in Matlacha to Ian. The foreword was written by award-winning novelist Robert Macomber, who was among the evacuees from Pine Island. “In this collection of stories, you will read of that storm’s profound effects on the people and places of this coast, told by those who endured it,” Macomber said. “I am proud to be part of this literary endeavor, for the heart of it is a powerful, vivid story about the better angels of human nature, which emerge when least expected and most needed.” Lovegrove said working on the project was cathartic. “After the Ian wave hit, our home on Matlacha was a total loss,” she said. “Part of the house washed out to sea, so all of our personal belongings now reside in the Gulf of Mexico.” Taking on this art project was very personal. “When Hurricanes Ian hit, I eased my stress by painting
See ‘STORM STORIES,’ page 16
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