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Suncoast Pasco News

Deputies Deliver 440 Holiday Food Baskets To Needy

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: December 27, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - With the need greater than ever, Pasco deputies and their community allies stepped up their efforts to supply holiday food baskets to needy families.

"We went from 400 baskets last year to about 440 this year," Cpl. Dan Dede from the Sheriff's Office citizens support services group announced. He hopes to collect even more next year.

Dede was coordinating the deliveries Monday during the rush to load a long line of patrol cars and other vehicles of deputies.

Among the helpers was Chris Fergueson, the 6-year-old son of Sgt. Troy Fergueson. The boy wore a Santa's cap with a badge pinned to it.

"This year was a banner year," Dede said as he gazed at the temporary warehouse of donated food.

The alumni association of the Sheriff's Office's Citizens Police Academy sorted all the canned goods and packed the food boxes, which were stacked to the ceiling. Citizens service units and other volunteers also helped with preparations.

"The community has been out in force," Dede said. "We collected somewhere in the area of 30,000 cans from the schools through the SROs (school resource officers) and about 10,000 more with the help of the chaplain corps with the Sheriff's Office."

Any leftover food will be shared with four Pasco ministries to help stock their food pantries, Dede said.

Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.

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