Love Week 2022, hosted by Bless Fruitland Park will saturate the Fruitland Park and Wildwood communities with random acts of kindness and special planned activities Feb. 12-20.
This year, local businesses, churches, civic groups and individuals are asked to join in the efforts by brainstorming and carrying out creative ideas within our neighborhoods and communities.
Here are some of the events planned:
Fruitland Park Library initiatives:
Cooking for Two with Chef Warren at 5 p.m. Thursday Feb. 10 at the Fruitland Park Library.
Preschool Days at the Library: From 10:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday Feb. 16 the Library staff will be hosting a story time, the Lions Club will be checking children’s eyes, while the Sertoma Speech and Hearing Foundation checking hearing for all ages, as well as the local Kiwanis club providing cooked hot dogs, chips, juices boxes. They will also have a book giveaway, face painting, balloon animals, and a visit by the Texas Roadhouse mascot.
Adult craft: From 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 an adult craft time to learn how to make a keepsake apron.
The Fruitland Park Library is located at 604 W. Berckman Street. To volunteer or for more details, contact Sherri Lamb at the Library at (352)-360-6561 or [email protected].
Fruitland Park Elementary will be partnering with Fruitland Park Recreation department during the week to provide Valentine cards and letters of encouragement from local elementary students to local senior adults and shut-ins.
Blood Mobile: The Big Red Bus will be located at 509 W. Berckman St. in Fruitland Park from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 16. Persons donating will be given a $20 E Gift card and free T-shirt while supplies last.
Love Week 5K: This year the run will benefit BlueLight Health, a local non-profit with a mission to transform the lives of youth and families in Lake County, Florida through health and wellness education, empowerment and awareness. The race will be held on Saturday, Feb. 12. For more details on the race and to sign up, go to
For more information, call Michelle Yoder at (352) 516-9149 or Jacob McDonell 352-552-4493.
Citizens First Bank: is selling Valentine animals for $5 each at participating branches from Jan. 31-Feb. 14. For more information contact Cindi Falanga at (352) 751-2025.
Senior Adult Luncheon: A community fellowship and Bingo is scheduled to be held at the Fruitland Park Recreation Department located at 205 W. Berckman St. in Fruitland Park on Wednesday, Feb. 9 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For more information on how you can help or be part you can contact Michelle Yoder, Fruitland Park recreation director at (352) 516-9149. The meal will be provided as well as give aways and door prizes that will be donated by area businesses and groups. There will be a visit from the Chorus from FPE as well.
Random Acts of Kindness: Residents are encouraged to find ways throughout the week to show kindness and love! This can happen in so many different ways: providing a meal to someone in need, handing out cold bottles of water in car line, or even leaving a kind note in a library book. Heritage Community Church is implementing a “Fish and Loaves” service project, where families in the church will open their homes to children and guide them through the process of cooking and prepping freezer meals for families with foster children. If you’d like more information on how to do this, you can call or text Allison Turner at (870) 740-0851 or [email protected].
Recycle for Sight: Heritage Community Church, our Local American Legion and several other community groups is partnering with our local Lion’s Club during “Love Week” to collect new, used and broken eye wear and sunglasses so that they can be refurbished and used to address eye care needs within our local community. You can donate your eye glasses by dropping them off at Heritage Community Church, located at 509 West Berckman St., from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Thursday or at the Fruitland Park Police Department, the Fruitland Park Post Office or at the our local Lions Club, located at 200 Fountain st. in Fruitland Park. For more information on how you, your church, club or civic group can be involved, contact Jaime Heritage at (201) 486-4020.
Shoe us the Love: is a shoe drive hosted by “Beyond the Walls” Food Pantry. The drive will begin Feb.1st and run through March 31. Shoes collected will be used to to provide resources for micro enterprises in developing nations such as Haiti and Nicaragua. In addition, funds raised will help “BTW” assist families in need within our community. New and gently used shoes can be dropped off at the Fruitland Park library and all Tri-County Podiatry office locations in and around The Villages during regular business hours. For more information on how you, your church, club or civic organization can participate, call Colleen Brooks at 352-455-4606 or [email protected].
Hope Community Church of Wildwood: On Sunday Feb. 6, Hope Community Church will host The Blood Mobile at the church parking lot. Then on Saturday, Feb. 12, they will host a parents night out from 6-8 p.m. There will be games, crafts and a free spaghetti dinner. This is open to all children from babies -12 years of age. Hope Community is located at 4070 County Road 124a ste 3, Wildwood, Florida. For more information on details or how you can be involved contact Pastor Don Winters at (352) 603-4271.
Local Girl scouts support “The Rock”: The Local Girls Scout Troop will be bringing awareness to a need at Oak Park Middle School’s “The Rock” Program. Their fundraising efforts will help purchase jackets and shoes that will be used to assist students in need. For more details or how you can be involved, you can contact Mandy Hanke at [email protected] or Jennifer Marsh at [email protected] or 352-267-4154.
Sweets for Fruitland Park First Responders and Public Works teams: Local Churches will be providing cookies and sweets during “Love Week”. For more information, contact Rev. George Mulford at [email protected] or (352) 516-9134.
First Responders and Public service personnel: to be honored during “LOVE WEEK 2022”. Local churches, businesses and individuals will be writing notes of appreciation as well as bringing cookies and sweets to the Fruitland Park Fire and Police Departments as well as the Public Works office during “Love Week”. In addition, Citizens First Bank, located at 3290 US highway 441/27 Fruitland Park will feed First responders free lunch from 11-2 pm on Friday February 18th. Please contact Rev. George Mulford at [email protected] or (352)516-9134 for more information on how you can be involved and participate
For more information, contact us at [email protected].