Heather Lotz moved from Indiana to Clearwater, Florida in 2003 to study nursing. Over the next few years, she became an RN, married and started having a family and has always pursued life with a passion for helping others. While raising her children, she investigated volunteer opportunities to do with her family but didn’t find many local options where families with young kids could volunteer together. She did, however, find many needs in the community and as a result, her family started doing small projects together on their own.
In 2018, she was inspired to make a bold move and elevate her passion for helping others to a higher level. This bold move was the inception of Lotz of Blessings (her supportive husband, Jeremiah, coined the perfect name). The mission of Lotz of Blessings is to inspire families to work together to help others within their communities. Heather’s dream was to create a network of families that work together for years to come to bless thousands of families when they need it the most, in selfless acts of love, kindness, and giving. Generally, the program is project based, and throughout the year they partner with different organizations and other charities to help where needed. Heather finds both short-term and long-term initiatives to engage in while focusing efforts on ensuring that families with kids of all ages can actively participate.
The organization’s website https://www.lotzofblessings.org and Facebook Page are a continuous source of opportunities to be involved and to help others in the community. I encourage you to visit the organization’s Facebook page so you can see how many opportunities there are to donate and volunteer. Most activities are centered in the Pinellas County area, but they also have an Amazon Wish List and accept monetary donations for those out of town.
Lotz of Blessings focuses its efforts in 3 primary areas:
- Pack-a-Snack Program: This program helps to address the problem of chronic hunger in the public schools. Since inception, they have provided over 6,000 bags to school aged kids in Pinellas County. Donations are always accepted and this an ongoing program.
2. Blessing Boxes: There are 3 boxes in Pinellas County and the philosophy in order to support neighbors who may need assistance. The boxes are designed for everyone to participate, and anyone is encouraged to stop by and take what you need or leave what you can. The boxes are located at:
Belleair Elementary School – 1156 Lakeview Road, Clearwater, FL
Skycrest Elementary School – 10 N. Corona Avenue, Clearwater, FL
Grace Christian Fellowship – 901 Range Road SW, Largo, FL
3. Kindness Projects: These initiatives include events throughout the year where kids work together to brainstorm ideas that together, help bring change to the community. There are monthly themes/initiatives that are used as the foundation of the program. Projects include card writing for senior citizens, item collections such as duffel bags for foster children, birthday supplies to provide a birthday for a child whose family might not be able to afford it, holiday tradition bags, and many more random acts of kindness!
When asked why she decided to start a non-profit, Heather will answer with a picture of her three children (below).
“This is my why… I want to raise my kids with a giving heart and together with my family, I want to help others”. “We have built a family on strong faith and love, and we have received many blessings, it’s in our hearts to pass those blessings on and show our kids how to do the same”.
P.O Box 8468
Clearwater, FL 33758
