By Louise Nelson

Thanks to the generosity of Marsh Creek residents, 40+ bags of canned ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables and fruit, dry foods, cereals, peanut butter and jelly, cake mixes, juices, and chocolate Easter bunnies and candies were delivered to the Chapin Street campus of the Homeless Coalition of St. Johns County on Thursday, March 30^th as part of Spoonbill Neighbors’ Easter Food Drive

Some of our neighbors, anxious to have their foodstuffs dedicated to the family they had chosen, will have those wishes honored, we were assured. But there were many additional surplus bags – when we ran out of bags, many Creekers simply went out and bought food on their own – those bags will be used to supplement the Easter deliveries or restock the coalition’s food bank.

The effort had help at the end with a “muscular crew: of loaders and drivers: Ron Anzivino, Tom O’Brien, John Peed and Brian Nelson.

Thank you for making Easter a brighter holiday for the less fortunate in our larger community.

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The Homeless Coalition launched as a Transitional Housing agency, which guides homeless persons into permanent housing.

The agency determined that one of the most pressing needs was housing for homeless children and their single parents. Because no other agency or organization would do so, the Coalition took the lead and in 1999 purchased our first transitional shelter. In 2001, the Coalition purchased 12 houses on Chapin St. and in 2004 purchased three (3) houses on Nesbit Ave, and in 2009 built four (4) houses on Smith St. 

The agency currently has 23 homes.

• 4 Homes are Transitional Homes with Supportive Services
• 15 Homes are Permanent Housing with Supportive Services
• 1 is a Veteran’s Home with Supportive Services
• 3 Homes are Leased in Partnership with EPIC Behavioral Health Care for Sober Living Housing