This holiday season, the Giving Gators charity group found their services were very much in need. A Thanksgiving Food Drive-thru on Nov. 21 at Ana G. Mendez University in Miami Lakes fed 400 children, organizer Daylin Garcia said. Food was also delivered to the homes of special needs students, she said. Families received frozen turkeys and ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner; personal hygiene products from Procter & Gamble and vitamins from...

Call it pandemic fashion, the colorful face coverings we wear to protect ourselves, our families, friends and neighbors from the COVID-19 virus. Whether it’s a mask with a pretty design, a doll or a game on the front, they help keep us safe.

What kind of mask do you wear? Send a selfie to LindaT@MiamiLaker.com.  Photos by Linda Trischitta, The Miami Laker.

Toby is a 9-year-old Shih Tzu who shares his Miami Lakes home with the Maymi - Garcia family. “He is very mellow and laid back,” Mark Garcia said. “He hardly barks and when he does, he sounds like an outboard motor.” Toby likes to play with his lion plush toy named “Baba” and enjoys hiding his dog treats throughout the house, Garcia said. Photo courtesy of Mark Garcia.If you would like to introduce your pet to the readers of The...

Meet Nina, a 1-year-old Golden Retriever who lives in Miami Lakes with owners Cecilia Vargas, her husband Mauricio Vargas and their daughters Angelina and Valentina Vargas. “Nina loves to go to the beach, and to play at the K-9 Cove dog park in Miami Lakes,” Cecilia Vargas said. “She likes to greet people and greets everyone who comes to the house or anywhere she meets them and won’t stop until you scratch her head,” Vargas said. Nina...

Defensive back Luis Cureza doesn’t hear the cheers from the crowd at Barbara Goleman Senior High School’s football games. He doesn’t hear the trash talk, or the distinct sound of one set of shoulder pads crashing into another during a big tackle. The junior special teams member isn’t bothered by background noise on game days because he is deaf, having lost his hearing when he was 10 years old. But what some may consider a...