The Bradenton Marauders are partnering with Goodwill Manasota and Miller High Life to honor veterans during the Marauders' game against the Tampa Yankees on Saturday, June 11, at McKechnie Field, 1611 Ninth St. W., Bradenton. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and the first pitch is scheduled for 6:30. The night will feature a pre-game parachute demonstration by the Para-Commandos and a mass swear-in of U.S. Army recruits, and numerous local organizations that serve veterans have been invited to set up booths during the game to share information about their work to assist veterans. Tickets are $6-$10.

Helaine Giddens, a realtor with SaraBay Real Estate, recently presented a check on behalf of agents in her office to the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee to support Feeding Empty Little Tummies (aka FELT), a Bradenton charity that provides backpacks containing food for the weekends to Manatee County's homeless and underprivileged elementary school children. FELT feeds 300 children in 19 elementary schools, three charter schools and two middle schools, with more then 25,000 backpacks packed and distributed.

Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight last week presented a check for $3,000 to Booker High School’s ACT/SAT Test Taking Strategies Program. The funds came from seized or recovered cash that went unclaimed and, per state statute, can be distributed to a qualifying organization. Knight’s donation to the program helps level the playing field for all students by offering test preparation at no cost. The donation was directed to the Booker High School Foundation, which was launched three years ago as a means of funding college and career-focused counseling and preparation.