Paint Your Heart Out Project Kicks off Saturday

Once a year for the last 25, volunteers with Paint Your Heart Out have put smiles on homeowners' faces by providing a fresh coat of paint on houses in need of a little TLC throughout Hillsborough County.

This year, the nonprofit organization will hold its event on April 20. On that day, teams of 12-25 people will each be assigned a home in Hillsborough County that needs to be painted. The work is done for free for deserving homeowners, many of them elderly or disabled.

Since the organization was founded, 2,400 homes have been painted.

PYHOT started in 1988, and services many low-income, elderly Tampa residents, according to a news release from the City of Tampa.  Since 1988, over 57,000 people have volunteered to make it a success, donating more than 332,000 volunteer hours, the news release said.

"Everyone is a volunteer," said executive director Jerry Hansen, a Northdale resident who is retired from the Air Force.

Paint Your Heart Out, located at 1202 W. Linebaugh Ave Suite C., begins planning early in the year. They select team captains, hold fundraisers, find worthy homeowners and begin soliciting volunteers.

The biggest events are the "Paint Day" and the "Celebration Day," which will take place at 6 p.m. on May 2 at the Hilton Downtown, 211 N. Tampa St.

"This way they can come two weeks later, and the Mayor (Bob Buckhorn) comes and it's a fun event," Hansen said.

On Paint Day, teams are dispersed to their assignments. Work generally begins around 8 a.m. Depending on the type of house they're painting, it can take until 4 or 5 p.m. before volunteers finish.

To be a part of the effort, contact Paint Your Heart Out by email at pyhot@pyhot.com or by calling 813-258-4512.