Local farmers market products now available for online ordering and pick-up/delivery

Due to COVID-19, Local Roots Farmers Market has created a website to safely connect their vendors with local shoppers.

LocalRootsOnlineFarmersMarket.com has more than 40 local farmers market vendors selling their products including fresh produce, cheese, breads, pastries, prepared meals, seafood, meats, seasonings, pastas, guacamole, salsas, pressed juices, soaps, hand sanitizer, crafts, BBQ and more.

Local Roots on line program offers both home delivery and no-contact curbside pick-up two days per week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The pick-up locations include Naples Outlets at 6060 Collier Boulevard, South Cypress Brewing at 895 Wiggins Pass, Naples; Sanibel Outlets at 20350 Summerlin Road, Fort Myers and Jimmy’s Java at 2534 N.E. 9th Ave. in Cape Coral.

Home delivery is also available for most residents in Lee and Collier counties.

Orders for Saturdays must be placed by the end of day on Thursday and orders for Wednesday must be placed by end of day on Monday.

“We hope our customers will continue to support the farmers market vendors by ordering online during this crisis,” said Jean Baer, who, along with Betsy Ventura, owns Local Roots, LLC. “This continued support will help mitigate the economic impact on our community as well as allowing residents to keep eating healthy, local foods.”

Baer and Ventura, the owners of Local Roots, LLC, have been operating farmers markets in Southwest Florida for 13 years and look forward to the 2020-2021 season which will include 10 locations to buy from local vendors in open air markets.

Along with the online farmers market business, they have two farmers markets that remain open through the end of May including the Sanibel Island market on Sundays at City Hall and Coconut Point in Estero on Thursdays at Coconut Point Mall.

For more information, email simplysavorygourmetblends@gmail.com or call 407-221-8287.

Ecological Laboratories Inc. produces, donates hand sanitizer for Cape Hospital healthcare workers

Locally-based Ecological Laboratories Inc. set up a special production line to produce hand sanitizer for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Recently, a team from the family-owned biotechnology firm delivered a donation of 25 cases of 16-ounce hand sanitizers to Cape Coral Hospital.

“I’d like to give a big shout out to Ecological Laboratories for providing the Cape Coral Hospital staff with 25 cases of hand sanitizer!” said Interim Director of Emergency Services Lorri Field-Philbin. “Your thoughtfulness, generosity and compassion for the health of our community is greatly respected.”

Scientists at Ecological Laboratories aren’t normally in the business of producing hand sanitizer. This international firm is best known for providing environmentally-friendly, non-chemical solutions to help solve water quality and wastewater treatment issues as well as to improve the yield of agricultural crops. The 40-plus-year-old company is also known in the areas of pond treatment and aquarium maintenance.

Ecological Laboratories moved its 65,000-square-foot production facility to Cape Coral in 1998, later adding a state-of-the-art research and quality control lab.

For additional information about Ecological Laboratories, please visit www.ecologicallaboratories.com; www.microbelift.com and www.growquantum.com

FGCU Board of Trustees, Audit and Compliance Committee to meet by conference calls May 1 and May 5

Florida Gulf Coast University will hold the following meetings:

* The Audit and Compliance Committee of the Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees meets by conference call Friday, May 1, at 9 a.m. All public comment on action items must be sent by email to sevans@fgcu.edu no later than 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 29. Comments will be read into the record during the conference call meeting.

* The full Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees will meet by conference call Tuesday, May 5, at 9 a.m. All public comment on action items must be sent by email to sevans@fgcu.edu no later than 5 p.m., Friday, May 1. Comments will be read into the record during the conference call meeting.

Due to social distancing requirements for COVID-19, meetings are available to the public via audio webcast at: www.fgcu.edu/boardcast

The agenda packets for the meetings can be viewed at:

Audit and Compliance Committee: www2.fgcu.edu/Trustees/AgendaFile/2020/05-01-2020/FGCUACCMTG_AGENDAPACKET_5-1-20REVISED.pdf

FGCU Board of Trustees: www2.fgcu.edu/Trustees/AgendaFile/2020/05-05-2020/FGCUBOTMTG_AGENDAPACKET_05-05-20_REVISED.PDF

For more information, contact Vice President and Chief of Staff Susan Evans at sevans@fgcu.edu, or visit the BOT website at: www.fgcu.edu/about/leadership/fgcuboardoftrustees/