Melbourne Community Service Leader Dorothy Linson Received National Service Act Award in Washington DC
By Space Coast Daily // April 6, 2026
For more than 26 years, Linson has devoted her life to ensuring that no child or senior in her community goes hungry.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Members of the Melbourne Police Department, Melbourne Airport Police Department, Melbourne Parks and Recreation Department, and community members met at the Melbourne-Orlando International Airport recently to celebrate Brevard community leader Dorothy Linson, affectionately known as “Ms. Dot,” and her daughter Pat Pearson, as they were recently honored in Washington, D.C.
For more than 26 years, Linson has devoted her life to ensuring that no child or senior in her community goes hungry.
Motivated by her own childhood experiences with poverty, she has personally funded, prepared, and served thousands of meals, most notably through her annual Thanksgiving dinners, now honored as “Ms. Dot’s Kitchen.”
Her service extends year-round through youth mentorship, senior support, and community programs that have uplifted generations with dignity, compassion, and care.
The honorees attended a ceremony on March 25, National Medal of Honor Day, where Linson received the Service Act Award from the prestigious Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
This award recognized Americans who consistently place others before themselves through a focused initiative of volunteer service.
Melbourne Police Chief David Gillespie nominated Linson for a lifetime of selfless service to the Melbourne and Palm Bay communities.
Linson has made it her passion to ensure no child, senior, or neighbor goes hungry. Inspired by her own childhood experiences, she has personally funded, prepared, and served thousands of meals.
She is well known for initiating the Annual Ms. Dot’s Thanksgiving Dinner, serving youth at the summer Read and Feed program, and for providing food for Melbourne’s Annual National Night Out.
Linson will also be recognized by the Melbourne City Council at the April 14 City Council meeting.
For more information about the award, see the press release from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
