WOW Cares

Giving back to our community...

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Westchase Thanksgiving Food Drive

 

WOW's Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive is the largest community food drive benefitting Metropolitan Ministries. Participating communities include Westchase, Tree Tops, Westchester, Mandolin, Windsor Place, West Hampton, Waterchase, and Highland Park. The Food Drive is made possible due to the numerous volunteers across all of these communities who step up year after year to distribute fliers, collect food, and work on-site on the day of the drive sorting and boxing up food. We are also grateful to the businesses that step up each year to match resident donations.

In 2023, the drive resulted in the collection of:

  • 44 barrels, 583 boxes, and 76 crates filled with a total of 37,918 pounds of food
  • 990 turkeys
  • $5,070 in monetary donations thanks to the generosity of our business matchers and individual donors.

 

The Great West Chase

The Great West Chase is a popular event hosting a 5K, 10K and Children’s Fun Run on the last Saturday in October. Thousands of runners and scores of generous volunteers and race sponsors come together to raise funds to help local schools with struggling kids.

Recent donations include:

  • $31,000 for Davis Elementary (Title I), 2017
  • $26,000 for Davidsen Middle’s ESE and ELE students, 2018
  • $33,000 for Woodbridge Elementary (Title 1), 2019
  • $15,000 for Citrus Park Elementary (robust special needs program), 2021
  • $27,000 for Town and Country Elementary (Title 1), 2022
  • $23,000 for Bellamy Elementary (Title 1), 2023

WOW has awarded nearly $400,000 in Great West Chase funds since 2002.

The 2024 Great West Chase will be held Sat., Oct. 26. Check back in the spring of 2024 for sponsorship opportunities and registration details.

WOW Spring Egg Hunt

Proceeds from the 2023 Spring Egg Hunt benefitted the following organizations:

  • $1,000 to the LaVoy Exceptional Center, a Title 1 school serving students with special needs
  • $1,400 to Clothes To Kids, a local nonprofit that allows low-income or in-crisis students to shop for school clothing free of charge. Our donation provided school wardrobes for 21 students.
  • $1,400 to nearby Oldsmar Cares, a nonprofit offering gap utility and rent assistance, a food pantry and a clothing closet to those in need at no cost.
  • $1,000 to the Northwest YMCA to fund summer camp and swim lesson scholarships for 30 low-income children.
  • 60 holiday meals for Angel Tree families at Westchase Elementary, Davidsen Middle and Alonso High schools for a total of $2,500

Registration and sponsorship opportunities are now open for WOW's 2024 Spring Egg Hunt on March 24, 2024! Click here to learn more.

WOW Cares

WOW is a 501(c)3 charity that publishes the WOW newsmagazine, builds a stronger community by hosting important Westchase events and uses the proceeds to make charitable contributions. Since 2004 WOW has given over $1 million in direct donations to local schools and charities. In addition to donations made possible through our three signature events, in 2023, the WOW also donated:

  • $400 Jacob's Touch Charity Golf Tournament sponsorship
  • $1,000 Westchase Charitable Foundation Santa Parade sponsorship
  • $500 donation to Cub Scout Troop 46 to help fund the purchase of an equipment trailer

 

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