Event also to give attendees opportunity to help fight children’s food insecurity this summer
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman and his staff will host the agency’s first SCSO Block Party, the Sheriff’s Office has announced.
County residents “are invited to visit the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) headquarters to enjoy a free, family-friendly event with food, music, demonstrations, games, and giveaways,” a news release notes. Members of the agency’s SWAT Team, Corrections Emergency Response Team and the Mounted Patrol, K-9 and Aviation units — among others — “will display their equipment and demonstrate their skills, offering attendees an inside look at what they do,” the release says. Further, Human Resources staff will provide information about career opportunities, and staff of the agency’s Animal Services Section will share details about the adoptable animals, the release adds.
Each child who visits all of the stops during the Block Party and fills his or her “SCSO passport” will win a chance to be “Sheriff for The Day,” the release also points out.
“This new, bigger, and better event will not only be a fun and educational experience for those who attend, but it will also be a way for the agency, attendees and our whole community to contribute for the purpose of fighting food insecurity in Sarasota County this summer,” the release continues. Partnering with All Faiths Food Bank and the Sarasota County Schools, SCSO will be accepting donations of non-perishable food items starting on April 1 and ending on April 12, the release points out.
Collection boxes will be available at the agency’s headquarters in Sarasota and at its South County location during that period, the release says. On April 12, Block Party attendees may bring food donations to exchange for T-shirts, the release adds.
For anyone who would like to help but who cannot attend the event, the release notes, the Sheriff’s Office is providing a link to its Amazon wish list for the food bank. Just click the link — https://bit.ly/4iFhYDT — to purchase items, “and they will be shipped directly to us to assist with packing the patrol car,” the release adds.
“This celebration gives us a chance to get to know our community better, show them a little of what we do, and welcome everyone to our headquarters,” said Sheriff Hoffman in the release. “It will be a day full of food, fun, and friendship, where we come together to serve kids in our community by providing food for the summer!”
The Sheriff’s Office headquarters is located at 6010 Cattleridge Blvd. in Sarasota. The South County Office is located at 4531 Annex Road in Venice.
For more information, contact the agency’s Community Affairs Office at 941-861-4124.