Sandhill Cove residents share with local nonprofits

Mitzi Leyzer

Mitzi Leyzer, a long-time resident of Sandhill Cove Retirement Living in Palm City, decided to change the world one bag at a time. One of the perks offered to residents of the upscale community is room service for their dinner, which is delivered in a large paper bag.

Back when the pandemic first began, requests for room service skyrocketed, which meant that many more brown bags – at 35 cents each - were being distributed. Recognizing that there was an opportunity to help nonprofits in the community, Leyzer spearheaded a program to collect the bags from her fellow residents and distribute them to those organizations where they could be put to the best use.

To date, Leyzer and her fellow residents have collected and donated over 200,000 bags.

Leyzer says Sandhill Cove residents are fighting poverty in a meaningful way as more than 15 local nonprofits such as Salvation Army, Caring Children Clothing Children, House of Hope, LAHIA, First United Methodist Church and Mission House and Holy Redeemer Catholic Church use the sturdy, two-handled brown bags to help serve their own clients and parishioners.

House of Hope uses the bags for their thrift stores, LAHIA, which serves  more than 36,000 homeless recipients with food, clothing and showers use them in a multitude of ways, Caring Children Clothing Children uses them for the gently-used clothing and literacy materials it provides underprivileged children. Salvation Army uses the bags for food, clothing, utensils and puzzles for the women and children its shelter, as well as its outreach programs, Holy Redeemer Catholic Church for the toys, clothing and canned goods it distributes and First United Methodist Church for its Tuesday evening community feeding program and Mission House services that provides food, soap and toiletries to those in need four days a week.

Sandhill Cove Retirement Living has more than 290 resident members who give back to the community by supporting various nonprofits and 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.

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