Health care open enrollment begins Friday
Floridians looking to get health care services through the government can officially get started on Friday when the open enrollment period kicks off.
The open enrollment period on healthcare.gov runs from this Friday through Dec. 15. According to the Department of Health & Human Services, more than 4 million uninsured people were deemed eligible for financial help to make their premiums as low as $0 and an estimated two out of every three healthcare.gov customers could get insured for $10 or less this year. Those who had such coverage through 2019 are encouraged to update their information for 2020 and check to see if a new plan could suit their needs and save money.
For more information or enrollment assistance, visit local help.healthcare.gov, call 1-800-318-2596 or make an appointment at widget.getcoveredamerica.org/?original=/.
Hope Lutheran hosting events
If you have boxes full of old papers and information that need shredding, Hope Lutheran Church has your back on Nov. 9.
From 10 a.m. to noon that Saturday, the church is hosting a shredding event in partnership with Thrivent Financial to help prevent identity theft. If you wish to have documents shredded, the church asks you also bring non-perishable, kid-friendly food items to donate to the United Food Bank of Plant City. The UFB will collect the food for its weekend backpack program to help feed kids at six area schools who are food insecure from the time they leave school Friday until they get back on Monday.
Hope is also gearing up for its 25th annual Turkey Supper, which will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. the following day. Adults can get a meal for $10 and children 11 and under can eat for $5. Dine-in and takeout options are available. Proceeds from the event will go to local charities and civic groups to pour back into the Plant City community.
The church is located at 2001 N. Park Road. For more information on either event, call 813-752-4622.
Residents to put up yellow ribbons for vets
This Saturday morning, Plant City residents will decorate downtown with yellow ribbons to show support for the troops.
“Plant City honors active military not home yet, the veterans, the POW/MIAs and the 22 veterans that are committing suicide every day,” Judy Wise, who is leading the group, said.
The group will place yellow ribbons around Reynolds, Alexander, Baker and Collins streets in the downtown area beginning at 9:30 a.m. Those involved include junior and senior honors students, Boy Scouts and adults from the area.
PC veteran to get new roof
Owens Corning Platinum Contractors and Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County Florida worked with CB Roofing Construction Inc. to give local Army veteran Rodney O’Neal a new roof.
O’Neal, who was a top-10 finalist in the national Beacon of Hope contest, will get the new roof on Nov. 5. Owens Corning’s National Roof Deployment Project has given more than 140 military members like O’Neal new roofing in times of need since it was launched in 2016.
PC girl named Harvest Princess
Plant City’s own Ava Rose Bikowski competed in the age 5-7 division of the Children’s Pageant at the Hillsborough County Fair last week and won the crown of 2019 Harvest Princess.