Reindeer continues sharing books with Maxey Center

The Maxey Community Center, 830 Klondike St., in Winter Garden, is the headquarters for a wide range of social services — many of which are directed at children and youth.

Since 1998, Reading Reindeer books have been donated to the Maxey Center Library and given directly to local children through the center’s programs.

From 3 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, school-age children gather at the center for Kids Café, which is sponsored by the city of Winter Garden, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the Orange County Community Action Division. The program features after-school tutoring, snacks and games, along with a free dinner program for children of low-income families. 

On Wednesdays, the center offers art programs for children, as well as seniors, through the Crealde School of Art. 

In addition, the center serves as the registration site for Head Start, which is offered locally at Maxey Elementary School in Winter Garden, and for utility-bill and rent assistance. It is a meeting place for the West Orange Citizen Action Coalition Inc., the East Winter Garden Community Development Council and the Winter Garden Community Garden Project, which offers garden plots to community residents so they can plant and harvest fruits and vegetables. The Community Garden Project meetings alternate between the center and Jessie Brock Community Center at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month.

Orange County sponsors a computer lab from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the center to assist residents in learning technology skills. 

The center features sewing classes presented by the city of Winter Garden at 3 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, collaborative programs for seniors through Central Florida Young at Heart Seniors Inc. and support services to help individuals and families become independent through the Orange County Community Action Family Self-Sufficiency Program.

Meals On Wheels, which delivers meals to the senior residents in their homes and also offers a neighborhood lunch program for seniors, operates from 8 a.m. to noon weekdays at the center.

Reading Reindeer is proud to join in the services offered through the center by providing books for its educational programs, the in-house library and the children it serves. 

For more information, book drop-off locations and a donation coupon, see the Reading Reindeer ad on 12A or call Kathy at (407) 929-2676.