Florida Good

Marion County Salvation Army had its annual Red Kettle Kickoff on Wednesday. The organization hopes to raise an extra $11,000 this holiday season.

A local non-profit organization is helping veterans transition into their futures by echoing their selfless service done in the past.

Alachua County held its annual Veterans Day celebration on Tuesday at the Alachua County Veterans Memorial in Kanapaha Park. The celebration focused on welcoming home returning service members of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Clayton Graves smiles after completing basic training. He enlisted in the Army on Sept. 14, 1950. Remembering the Korean War, Clayton Graves said he mainly recalls the foxholes and extreme cold. It was beginning to turn into winter in 1951 when Cpl. Graves’ Headquarters Company, the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry …

Saturday afternoon floats, fire trucks, tractors, motorcycles, and walkers led veterans through Inglis for the 2014 Levy County Veterans Day Parade.

The Friends of Reserve Park organization is pushing to completely transform the asbestos-filled C.R. Layton Army Reserve into a memorial for the reservists who spent time there while also creating a recreational space for the Gainesville community. Some Gainesville officials, though, worry about the cost.

More than 40,000 pounds of the brightly-colored gourds arrived on a semi-truck Sept. 28 just in time for this year’s pumpkin patch. Before filling the small hay-covered courtyard at Gainesville’s Trinity United Methodist Church, the pumpkins travel 1,807 miles through six states after being harvested. The church imports its pumpkins …

October is family history month, and individuals such as Kathy McCarthy Dugan are researching their family tree using resources such as local libraries, Ancestry.com and the Family History Center at the Mormon Church in Gainesville.

Peaceful Paths, the Hippodrome theater and River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding partnered for a Unity Day march and rally on Oct. 5.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is fighting to decrease hunger and sustain the health of Florida residents. The FDACS has created a new digital map to help locate and determine which areas of Florida have the least amount of access to food and resources.