NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — A Pasco County woman has spent decades making sure her community is a place filled with caring neighbors.

Trish “Gogo” O’Neill leads a group called the Sunshine Committee at the 55 and over Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club community.

What You Need To Know

Trish “Gogo” O’Neill leads the Sunshine Committee at the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club in Pasco County

 Group volunteers do many things to look out for their neighbors

 Volunteers help with celebration of life events when residents pass away

Gogo O’Neill has let the committee since 2000

On a recent morning O’Neill was leading a group of volunteers packing bags filled with meatloaf dinners for neighbors not up to getting out of the house.

“And The club does this every other month for us, and we buy these, and they give us a nice rate,” she said as she was putting one of the meals into a bag.

The meals are just one of many ways the Sunshine Committee looks after community residents.

“It’s like going to the restaurant without the wheelchair and the car,” said O’Neill.

O’Neil started as an assistant director for the committee in 1998 and then took over as the director in 2000.

One of the other main functions of the committee is to coordinate celebration of life events when a community member dies. “We get with the family and ask what kind of food they want. We go and order the food,” said O’Neill. “We pick up the food, bring it back to the community center. We manage the whole thing. We set the tables up with beautiful white linen tablecloths, beautiful blue and white floral centerpieces and people are always extremely happy with the event.”

They also puts up a Christmas tree with personalized ornaments honoring those people.

Committee members also make regular calls to check in on neighbors.

There are also a couple of community groups that help the Sunshine Committee. One is a card group that makes and then sends greeting cards to residents who may be ill or suffered a loss.

“Anything we can do to help this wonderful community we’ll do it,” said card group leader Cindy Leek.

There is also a quilt group that makes quilts and gives them to the committee. They go to people who have been sick, in the hospital or grieving.

“I think we call it like a hug instead of just a quilt,” said quilt club president Betty Burke. “This is a hug you can wrap around yourself.”

O’Neill said it’s all about trying to be a good neighbor.

“Absolutely. I think I agree with Cindy Leek when she said giving back is probably the most rewarding job in the world. It’s a family. It’s a family. I mean I’ve lived here for 30 years this September. I’ve never even dreamed about moving someplace else.”