FORT MYERS Lee County School District attempts to retain teachers The Lee County School District has had the persistent issue of maintaining teachers due to several conflicts.
the weather authority More rain and storms for your Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking more rain and storms as coastal showers move onshore throughout this Thursday.
Multiple election websites face technical issues shortly after polls close Multiple Florida counties were experiencing technical issues with their elections page websites on Primary Day on Tuesday.
NAPLES World War II veteran gets honored nearly 80 years after serving Florence Weinstein, a private in the Army during WWII, received three medals from her service in the 1940s on Wednesday.
Woman finds missing child in Lee County Tuesday night WINK News reported deputies were searching for 11-year-old Pedro Simon Luis in Lee County.
Making Strides against Breast Cancer Get your pink ready! The countdown is on for Southwest Florida’s making strides against breast cancer walk.
NAPLES FHP investigating Collier County patrol crash The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that occurred in Naples on Wednesday night.
CAPE CORAL SWFL Super Bowl champion coaching alma mater Seahawk legend turned Super Bowl champion Jaylen Watkins has taken over as defensive coordinator at Cape Coral.
Former teacher’s assistant pleads guilty A father is sharing the pain and frustrations that his family continues to face after his son was raped by Lauren King, a former fort myers school teacher’s assistant.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral proposes pay increase for crossing guards A healthy pay increase for crossing guards. That’s the plan for the city of Cape Coral to keep the streets safer for their kids.
FORT MYERS Program teaches students with autism how to train dogs A program in Fort Myers teaches students with autism the skills of dog training using positive reinforcement.
PUNTA GORDA The Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel is now demolished The Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel has been sitting vacant for nearly two years but Wednesday, that changed. The structural demolition started and the hotel and restaurant were fully demolished.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral City Council approves renovations for Jaycee Park The Cape Coral City Council is discussing Jaycee Park and the proposed renovations on Wednesday night.
CAPE CORAL Nearly two dozen Roundabouts proposed for Cape Coral The city of Cape Coral is proposing to add more than two dozen roundabouts all around the city.
NAPLES Don’t eat your veggies? Lectin-free dieting surges Ever heard of lectin? It is a compound found in plants and it’s cooking up a lot of controversy
FORT MYERS Lee County School District attempts to retain teachers The Lee County School District has had the persistent issue of maintaining teachers due to several conflicts.
the weather authority More rain and storms for your Thursday The Weather Authority is tracking more rain and storms as coastal showers move onshore throughout this Thursday.
Multiple election websites face technical issues shortly after polls close Multiple Florida counties were experiencing technical issues with their elections page websites on Primary Day on Tuesday.
NAPLES World War II veteran gets honored nearly 80 years after serving Florence Weinstein, a private in the Army during WWII, received three medals from her service in the 1940s on Wednesday.
Woman finds missing child in Lee County Tuesday night WINK News reported deputies were searching for 11-year-old Pedro Simon Luis in Lee County.
Making Strides against Breast Cancer Get your pink ready! The countdown is on for Southwest Florida’s making strides against breast cancer walk.
NAPLES FHP investigating Collier County patrol crash The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that occurred in Naples on Wednesday night.
CAPE CORAL SWFL Super Bowl champion coaching alma mater Seahawk legend turned Super Bowl champion Jaylen Watkins has taken over as defensive coordinator at Cape Coral.
Former teacher’s assistant pleads guilty A father is sharing the pain and frustrations that his family continues to face after his son was raped by Lauren King, a former fort myers school teacher’s assistant.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral proposes pay increase for crossing guards A healthy pay increase for crossing guards. That’s the plan for the city of Cape Coral to keep the streets safer for their kids.
FORT MYERS Program teaches students with autism how to train dogs A program in Fort Myers teaches students with autism the skills of dog training using positive reinforcement.
PUNTA GORDA The Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel is now demolished The Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel has been sitting vacant for nearly two years but Wednesday, that changed. The structural demolition started and the hotel and restaurant were fully demolished.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral City Council approves renovations for Jaycee Park The Cape Coral City Council is discussing Jaycee Park and the proposed renovations on Wednesday night.
CAPE CORAL Nearly two dozen Roundabouts proposed for Cape Coral The city of Cape Coral is proposing to add more than two dozen roundabouts all around the city.
NAPLES Don’t eat your veggies? Lectin-free dieting surges Ever heard of lectin? It is a compound found in plants and it’s cooking up a lot of controversy
One of the unique things about the Naples Children and Education Foundation (NCEF) is that it’s a private organization, which means they can pivot funding at a moment’s notice. That’s what happened as we dealt with COVID-19. They pivoted and built a website and app called “Collier Cares.” As car after car crawls through the “Our Daily Bread” mobile food giveaway line at Lely High School, volunteer Wanda Smith smiles at each one. “I see the people, and I see myself in them,” said Smith. “I see some of them in desperation. I see some of them that really need. Wow, the look in their eyes. It brings me back to where I was. It’s really not good.” “We offer food, hope and encouragement.” Evelyn Rossetti-Ryan, Executive Director, Our Daily Bread Seven years ago, Smith was a guest at Our Daily Bread, with life uncertain and bills stacking up. The organization strives to lift some of that burden. “They are our neighbors, our friends, the people who may work at the gas station or the handyman or the cooks or the painters. They are people in our community needing a hand up. We offer that hand up. We are community resource,” said Evelyn Rossetti-Ryan, executive director of Our Daily Bread. Finding that is easy with “Collier Cares,” a site created by NCEF. “Collier Cares is our help-all-in-one-place app. We designed it to make that everybody has access to all your cares and to information,” said Maria Jimenez-Lara, CEO of NCEF. How it works:  You just go to colliercares.org, and it’s all laid out on a map. Within those numbered bubbles are hundreds of resources available in Collier County. You can break the resources down by subject on the left side of the screen. There are food resources to help you find food pantries and meal giveaways. Crises hotlines are open 24/7 for drugs, alcohol, mental and physical health and so much more. You can also get the same information through the mobile app.  “They’re a great group of people, and they do things so selflessly. And that’s how I feel. I feel good coming to work. To me, I don’t even see it as work. I see it as something giving me pleasure, because that’s what it is. It’s a pleasure servicing the community,” said Smith.Â