Pasco Fire Rescue is teaming up with Tax Collector Mike Fasano's offices for the sixth straight year to collect donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association throughout August, giving Land O' Lakes and Lutz residents two nearby drop-off points and an online option.

The annual "Fill the Boot" drive runs Aug. 1 through Aug. 31 at all five Pasco County tax collector locations, according to a July 20 press release from Fasano's office. Residents can drop cash or check donations into collection boots during regular office hours.

Where Land O' Lakes and Lutz residents can donate

The two locations closest to Land O' Lakes and Lutz are the Central Pasco Government Center at 4135 Land O' Lakes Blvd. (U.S. 41) and the Wesley Chapel office at 4610 Pet Lane, Suite C 101, in Lutz. Both are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Wesley Chapel location also accepts donations on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

"It is an honor to assist Pasco Fire Rescue once again with the annual MDA Fill the Boot drive," Fasano said in the announcement. "Over the past several years our staff and a very generous community have come together to support this important organization."

A fundraising tradition dating to 1954

Lisa Brekke, director of Firefighters Charities of Pasco, called the six-year partnership with Fasano's office critical to the program's local fundraising. The Fill the Boot program dates to 1954, when Boston firefighters first took to the streets with boots in hand to collect for MDA. Nationally, firefighters have raised more than $700 million for the organization since then, according to MDA.

The funds support research and care for people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related neuromuscular diseases. MDA says Fill the Boot funding has contributed to more than a dozen FDA-approved treatments since 2015.

A rotating cast of local charities

Fasano's office runs a different charity each month. In recent months, the program raised $5,155 for Hope Services in June, more than $5,000 for the Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind in May, and $6,000 for Special Olympics Florida of Pasco in April.

How to give

Residents who prefer to give online can donate through Pasco TC Gives at govhub.com/fl-pasco/tcgives/donate. Checks can also be mailed to Pasco County Tax Collector's Office, P.O. Box 276, Dade City, FL 33526-0276.

For questions about the drive, residents can contact Brekke at 727-366-9622 or Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano at 727-847-8179.