Community In The Know

Fresh Jersey Tomatoes (FJTs) celebrated its 10th birthday and raised $285 for Peace River Wildlife Center’s ambassador, Luna the screech owl.

County warns about EMS billing scam

Charlotte County cautions residents against providing credit card, bank or other personal information to callers claiming to represent EMS billing or other county departments.

A resident recently alerted the county’s Fire & EMS headquarters, stating they were contacted via phone by a party claiming to have an EMS billing refund due to overpayment and requesting the caller’s banking information so they could receive the refund amount.

“Our EMS billing department would never ask for your financial information. If a customer is due a refund, your refund will be issued by check and sent in the mail,” said Charlotte County Senior EMS Billing Specialist Jill Turner.

If a resident has a question about EMS billing, they should call the EMS billing department at 941-833-5613.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office warns against providing payment information by phone to an unverified caller.

“Scammers often try to elicit an emotion from their victims in order to create a sense of urgency; they may convince the victim that the situation is dire, and a payment is needed immediately to avoid a penalty, fine, or even arrest,” said Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Chris Hall. “Never provide personal information or any kind of payment (to include credit/debit cards, bank account information, gift cards, digital currency, etc.) to anyone unless you know with 100% certainty who they are.”

You can report scam attempts to the Federal

Trade Commission authorities at www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts.

If you fall victim to a scam, contact the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office at 941-639-2101.

C.A.R.E. purchases child care facility to support survivors

The Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies Inc. announced expanded services for survivors of violence as the agency prepares to provide child care services for children of working clients. Targeted opening date for services is mid-summer 2024. This expansion of program services addresses the challenge of finding affordable safe and reliable child care as survivors work toward independence from abusers.

C.A.R.E. recognizes the support that working parents need to make a living to support their families, often in minimum wage jobs. Finding affordable child care is one hurdle to clear; often wait lists limit availability as well.

• C.A.R.E. child care services will be provided for survivors as an extension of the agency services without cost to the parent who is employed or participating in an educational program.

• Children who are infants through the age of 4 years will be able to receive the services.

• C.A.R.E. will be announcing details about the plan to raise funds for rehabbing the facility, building a playground and staffing the facility.

“It is difficult to listen to the personal experiences of children who witness domestic violence in their homes, but it is important to listen to what they say,” said Karen McElhaney, C.A.R.E.’s executive director “We are very pleased to let our Charlotte County community know that C.A.R.E. will be providing certified daily child care services for survivors later this year. We can ensure a safe and secure environment for children while parents work. Children will receive reassurance and be able to play and learn while healing.”

For further information about C.A.R.E., see www.carefl.org .

C.A.R.E. is the certified Victims Services Center in Charlotte County. C.A.R.E. helps victims of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault and other violent crimes. C.A.R.E. secures funding to ensure services are available to help victims cope with and recover from victimization and abuse. Victims come into the safe shelter under crisis conditions, often with their children. C.A.R.E. actively pursues funds for survivors’ services through grant applications and targeted fundraising to ensure our agency is able to help survivors heal from immediate emotional and physical trauma. Once the initial crisis has been dealt with resources are available to survivors to safely plan for leaving an abuser and building an independent life free of violence.

Fresh Jersey Tomatoes celebrate 10 years with donation

The Fresh Jersey Tomatoes (FJTs) celebrated its 10th birthday this month. As it turns out, the organization shares a birthday with Peace River Wildlife Center’s celebrity ambassador, Luna — and since the beloved leucistic screech owl is celebrating his birthday on March 30, the FJTs took up a collection and raised $285 for the birthday boy.

The Fresh Jersey Tomatoes, formed in 2015 with 10 members, now has more than 380. They are a group of women originally from New Jersey, now residing in Charlotte County, who continue to give back to their community. The FJTs have raised food during the pandemic for families in Charlotte County and, prior to that, held a food drive for the Homeless Coalition and have supported other nonprofits in Charlotte County.

The FJTs also organized a humanitarian aid relief effort for Ukraine at the beginning of the war there. They will hold their ninth annual Holiday Toy Drive for Charlotte Behavioral Health Care in December. ¦

The post Community In The Know first appeared on Charlotte County Florida Weekly .