To help mitigate the spread of the current pandemic among children and families in Hillsborough County, the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County provided funding to Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay for 3,500 COVID-19 prevention kits. All seven locations of the Children’s Board Family Resource Centers each received 500 kits, which the staff will hand out to families who need one in Hillsborough County at no cost.
The kits are first come, first serve and will be available while supplies last. Locations include Brandon, Plant City, Central Tampa, North Tampa, South County, Town ‘N Country and Temple Terrace.
Since 2016, Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay has partnered with the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County to improve the lives of children and families through its innovative Safe and Healthy Homes Program, which includes critical home repairs at no cost to qualifying families. Each family that this program serves will receive a kit.
The kits consist of three face masks, a digital thermometer, sanitizing wipes, Rebuilding Together’s Safe and Healthy Homes Program flyer, keychain hand sanitizer, antibacterial hand soap and large hand sanitizer. In addition, the kits also provide caregivers and parents with the tools to keep children as well as families safe and healthy.
Katie French, director of Safe and Healthy Homes at Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, shared how the project came into fruition.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic began, our team created a prevention kit to assist families to safeguard their homes and help to stop the spread of the virus,” she stated.
According to the Department of Health, as of September 17, 2021, the state of Florida has had 3,485,163 COVID-19 cases. Since March of 2021, Hillsborough County has had 228,982 COVID-19 cases.
Kelley Parris, executive director at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, said that COVID-19 has impacted many children and families in Hillsborough County; having access to these tools saves lives.
For more information, visit https://www.familysupporthc.org. The center is located at 1271 Kingsway Rd. in Brandon. Call 740-4634. To learn more about Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, visit https://rttb.org.
