Tax Collector Offices Become Toy Collectors This December for R'Club
PINELLAS COUNTY, FL – Pinellas tax collector employees got all wrapped up in the spirit of giving again this holiday season by partnering with R’Club to provide gifts for local children. Tax Collector, Charles W. Thomas, and members of his team met at the R’Club Child Care administration building in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, December 13, to drop off their gift donations for Pinellas families in need.
This year’s “toy collector” initiative provided gifts for 95 Pinellas County children. Over the past few weeks, tax collector teammates purchased and wrapped gifts, ranging from toys and books to clothes and shoes, based on wish lists provided by their families to R’Club. Several carloads of presents were delivered, almost as if Santa himself paid a visit.
with R’Club employees and holiday gift donations.
“A main focus of our organization is to put the community first and to help make it a better place,” said Tax Collector, Charles W. Thomas. “This is a great way to take our mission of service outside of our offices and we look forward to this giving opportunity each year. I’m very proud of my team’s generosity and commitment to our community.”
Since 1976, R’Club has been providing Pinellas County with high-quality, accessible, and affordable childcare and establishing cooperative community programs. Every day they serve over 4,000 children at 47 different locations throughout Pinellas County, from infants to middle school-aged kids.
Tax collector teammates have partnered with R’Club each December since 2020, due to Sara Lakin, a North County employee, who suggested the idea at her office. Three years later, the initiative has spread to the entire tax collector organization. Sara coordinates the donations and acts as the liaison between the tax collector team and R’Club.
“I am so proud of how our organization continues to grow our ‘toy collector’ drive each year,” said Lakin. “It’s also great to see how excited everyone gets when we start planning the drive. I can’t thank my coworkers and organization enough for their generosity and love of giving back.”
For more information about R’Club or to donate, visit rclub.net. For updates and important info from the tax collector’s office, visit their social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, and X - @PinellasTC), or pinellastaxcollector.gov.
###
ABOUT THE PINELLAS COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR’S OFFICE: The Pinellas County Tax Collector’s Office is a constitutionally elected office. Responsibilities include collecting and distributing state and local taxes and providing driver license and motor vehicle registration services to Pinellas County residents. For more information, visit pinellastaxcollector.gov.