Last fall Harvest House was awarded a $50,000 grant from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. Over the next week, that $50,000 grant will be put to use as Florida Fence works to install more than 2,000 feet of white, vinyl picket fence at the Family Village. The property is located on the 2700 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Sarasota, and will serve families and unaccompanied youth who are homeless and participating in Harvest House’s Home Again program.

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee's Women’s Giving Circle ("Ma’agal Nashim") recently awarded $40,000 in grants to 10 organizations in Israel benefitting women and children. Now in its third year, the Women’s Giving Circle is made up of women in the Sarasota and Manatee County area who are dedicated to funding projects designed to improve the lives of women and children in Israel.

Taylor Morrison West Florida recently presented Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue in Bradenton with a donation of $12,500. Through its charitable donation program, Taylor Morrison, Inc. matches contributions of employees in each division up to 50 percent per year toward a charity of the division’s choice. Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue is a nonprofit volunteer group that provides a safe, no-kill shelter environment for abandoned dogs and cats. Since its inception in 2008, the organization has saved, rehabilitated and found permanent homes for more 3,500 dogs and cats.

Representatives from Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar presented a check for $1,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County on April 4. The funds were raised during an Applebee’s breakfast with the Easter Bunny event at its Venice location. The Boys & Girls Clubs provide recreational and educational programs after school and during the summer for more than 4,000 children and youth ages 6-18.

Conditioned Air recently partnered with All Faiths Food Bank to collect nonperishable food for hungry children in need. The food drive took place on April 3 at four different Publix locations in Sarasota and collected 4,974 pounds of food. The food drive initiative is part of the food bank’s mission to provide food to children when schools close in the summer.

Fifth Third Bank has partnered with the Salvation Army to collect 5,300 pounds of nonperishable food items during the “Feeding our Communities” food drive. Donations will be accepted at all Fifth Third bank branches from April 4 to 29.  This is the sixth year that this effort will benefit the Salvation Army and its partner food banks.

Jaco’s Boxing and Fitness will host the thi^rd annual Jaco’s vs. Autism event April 29 and 30. The 24-hour boxing training marathon will raise funds for Sarasota’s ABA Academy. The ABA Academy is a nonprofit that assists children with developmental disabilities. The school is relocating to a brand new facility off Fruitville Road that will open this fall. The Jaco's event runs from 4 p.m. on Friday, April 29, to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 30. Participants can purchase a 30-minute private training session for $100.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine will honor Leslie Glass with its 2016 Media Award for her documentary, The Secret World of Recovery, at the society's 47th annual conference on Saturday, April 16, in Baltimore. The award recognizes a newspaper, magazine, television, radio or website story, column, film or program that improves the public’s understanding of addiction, addiction treatment, recovery or the profession of addiction medicine. The Secret World of Recovery reveals the different pathways of recovery for individuals across the country.

United Way Suncoast last week released its rankings of the top volunteer workplaces in the area. For large workplaces, Publix came in at No. 1 for the second straight year. The Tampa Bay Lightning topped the list of medium-sized workplaces, also for the second consecutive year. The list of small workplaces was topped by the Tampa law firm Thompson, Sizemore, Gonzalez, & Hearing, P.A.