VISTE’s mission is to enable elderly persons to remain
safely and independently in their own homes.
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25th Annual Thanksgiving Meal Delivery
Wednesday, November 24th, 2021
Volunteers in Service to the Elderly (VISTE) is pleased to announce that the 25th Annual Thanksgiving Meal Delivery will take place on Wednesday, November 24, 2021 with meal pickup by volunteer drivers at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. This family-friendly event brings the community together to kick off the holiday season by distributing Thanksgiving meals and beautiful live plants to our elderly neighbors. This year we will be increasing the number of meals to benefit 2,000 seniors!

A limited number of volunteers will pack meals at the Center, and hundreds of volunteer drivers will use designated drive-through lines to pick up the meals between 1:00-4:00 pm without having to get out of their vehicles. All volunteers MUST pre-register to deliver meals.
This year we will hold the Green Bean Snap at First Presbyterian Church again! We also have a new activity – “Operation Cranberry!” We will be accepting donations of 16-ounce cans of cranberry sauce. However, we will not be accepting home-baked goods.

Thanks to the efforts of local schoolchildren, we have plenty of decorated placemats and paper bags, but we’re always looking for handmade greeting cards or festive craft items to distribute with the meals. VISTE clients appreciate these personal touches, and they make the holidays extra special.
Thank you to EVERYONE who helps to make this event a success – we couldn’t do it without you! Special thanks to our event sponsors: GEICO, T. Mims Corp., and Mosaic. If you have any questions, please contact Volunteer & Events Manager, Patty Johnson, at (863) 210-5593 or email patty@viste.org.
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This year, two VISTE programs will provide much-needed food and other items for local seniors in need, as well as a cheerful visit by a volunteer. |
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Thanksgiving Meals
With All the Trimmings
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Volunteers will deliver hot Thanksgiving meals with all the trimmings, plus decorative cards and placemats, and beautiful live plants to seniors – and will visit (socially distanced) to let them know that they are valued and not forgotten. The cost is $15 per meal. |
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Holiday Personal Care Boxes
& Gifts for Veterans
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Every December VISTE volunteers pack and deliver 400 boxes filled to the brim with personal care items for seniors in need. In honor of our military veterans, Lakeland Kiwanis Club will also include special gifts for veterans based on their branch of service. The cost for each box is $25. |
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Please consider covering the cost of one or more Thanksgiving meals and/or Holiday Personal Care Boxes. Donating is easy! Just click on the DONATE button below to send holiday love to a local senior in need. You can support Thanksgiving meals, Holiday Personal Care boxes, or both! THANK YOU!! |
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President's
Message
“For it is in giving that we receive.”
– Saint Francis of Assisi
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THANKS + GIVING… the name itself implies two complementary acts inevitably intertwined in the ebb and flow of life. None of us is on an island unto ourselves. We have all received much to be grateful for, and each of us has the capacity to give to others our time, talents, and/or treasures. Indeed, this holiday season is a time of giving thanks for blessings received and expressing generosity toward others.
In many ways, this is a season of contrasts, a time of change as well as to celebrate time-honored traditions. A time to reflect on events of the past and look forward to the prospects of a new year ahead. If this season were to be summed up in one word though...
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Volunteer Program Spotlight
Welcome Patty Johnson!
Volunteer & Events Manager
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Please join us in welcoming the newest member to our VISTE family, Patty Johnson! Patty joins us as our Volunteer and Events Manager with an immense love for seniors. Raised in Northeast Michigan, she is the youngest of nine children. Her parents were 60 years old when she was 16, beginning her love for seniors! She moved back to Florida to be nearer to her children and grandchildren. Before joining VISTE, she served as a Family Advisor for Mainstay Senior Living Communities, Volunteer Coordinator and Administrative Assistant to VP of Operations at Christian City, and Volunteer Coordinator at Piedmont Fayette Hospital Auxiliary. We are so thankful to have her on our team.
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"My gift is working with seniors, my love is working with volunteers, they have the biggest hearts and the best outlook on life!” |
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How You Can Help Seniors This Holiday Season
Lisa Marquette, Development Director
Last year, we received this heartfelt note from William after he received his Thanksgiving meal and poinsettia:
“I’m an 86-year-old man in south Lakeland. I make very little, and the things VISTE gives me make a huge difference. I’ve received Thanksgiving meals for three years now. I planted the mums from the last two years, and they are growing well! This year I planted the poinsettia. It’s gorgeous – it has sparkles on it! Everyone I know has passed on, and I have no one now. That’s why VISTE means so much. Please be sure that everyone knows how much I appreciate everything that VISTE does for me. “ - WILLIAM, client
Our clients express their gratitude for VISTE every day, but it is because of YOU we are able to help. Please consider a generous gift to help your elderly neighbors during the holiday. It would mean so much to a senior in need. Thank you!
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The 17th Annual VISTEBall will feature a new event, the VISTE Open. Grasslands Golf & Country Club will host this 18-hole golf tournament on Monday, January 31, 2022. A week-long online auction will also be featured again this year. We look forward to returning to an indoor event in 2023 to kick off VISTE’s 40th Anniversary Celebration. Thank you for your ongoing support!
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Mission Moment
World War II Veteran, Jack
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Meet Jack, 99 years young, a World War II veteran, and a longtime VISTE client! Jack lives in Lakeland and can often be seen walking around one of the local lakes for exercise. As we delivered his VISTE hot meal to him recently, he was happy to share stories about his military experience and to give a personal testimonial on his faith. Thank you, Jack, for your service, your enthusiasm, and for being such an inspiration to everyone at VISTE! |
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
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Volunteer Program Opportunities |
Thanksgiving Meal Delivery – Nov 24. Drivers must register by 11/15 to deliver meals. |
Operation Cranberry Donations – Now through 11/15. Drop off 16-oz. cans of cranberry sauce at VISTE, M-F, 8am-4pm. |
Volunteers needed: Hot Meal Drivers, Office Workers, and Supplemental Grocery Deliveries. |
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Seniors in our community need your help.
Every day we receive calls for assistance with food, transportation, accessibility ramps, and other services. The needs are great, and VISTE works hard to accommodate those requests, at no charge to the client. As 2021 comes to a close, please consider a generous year-end donation to enable this good work to continue.
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The need is great, but together we are greater than the need! |
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With Gratitude to Our Partners |
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VISTE.org | (863) 284-0828 | Stay Connected! Follow us on Facebook! |
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Volunteers in Service to the Elderly (VISTE) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt agency. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. State Registration #CH28. Federal ID #59-2625297
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
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