As people in this and surrounding areas continue to recover from the effects of Hurricane Debby, Hernando County nonprofits and charitable organizations are stepping up to help out—offering everything from food to hurricane supplies for those who need it. At this time, some of these organizations are calling upon the community to help them help others.
DayStar Life Center, an all-volunteer organization helping needy families in Hernando County since 1983, needs donations now. “We have had an accelerated demand for food, small tents and sleeping bags,” read information specially prepared for the Hernando Sun by DayStar Life Center.
Make a financial donation through the DayStar website at http://daystarlifecenter.org/, drop it off at Daystar Life Center, or mail it to the agency at 20428 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34601.
Make a material donation such as furniture, appliances, housewares, or clean clothing. DayStar trucks are scheduled for pick-ups on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout Hernando County. Please call 352-799-5930 to schedule a pick-up.
St. Vincent de Paul “provides food from our pantry six days a week, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon,” said Ed Sweeney, president of SVdP Hernando Citrus District Council, Inc., 1291 Kass Circle, Spring Hill. “Thrift Store items may be purchased Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or obtained at no cost with a voucher from one of our six conferences located throughout Western Hernando County and Southwestern Citrus County.”
St. Vincent de Paul Conferences are located at:
St. Anthony, Brooksville, 352-797-4898
St. Frances, Mariner Blvd, 352-688-0744
St. Joan, Spring Hill Dr, 352-556-3670
St. Mary’s, Masaryktown, 352-796-6606
St. Theresa, U S Hwy 19, 352-688-9997
St. Thomas. Homosassa, 727-230-1883
April Gordon, director of community relations at Jericho Road Ministries, says that her agency also has food resources available for those who need them.
“If anyone is in need of food, our distribution day is Tuesday from 9 a.m.–noon at our food barn located at 1163 Howell Ave. in Brooksville,” said Gordon.
People Helping People, known primarily as a food ministry, is seeking donations for expanded services that could aid homeless storm survivors in particular.
“PHP is always looking for bug spray,” said Kendra Kenney, executive director of People Helping People in Hernando County. “You know Florida—this is important no matter what, and bugs are even worse with the humidity recently and that left behind by Debby. We also have a fund to procure laundry vouchers for those whose clothing was soaked by the storm, so cash would be great, and it can be designated to that fund if the donor would like.
Tarps to keep their tents dry is also a need. Although we don’t accept clothing donations in general, it would be nice to offer our male clients dry boxers (in mostly smaller sizes – homeless people tend to be thinner because of lack of proper food and nutrition and a lot of exercise riding a bike or walking).”
“Can’t imagine living unsheltered through these storms,” said Kenney. Bring all donations to the PHP HELP Center, 1396 Kass Circle, Spring Hill.
United Way of Hernando County hosts an ongoing hurricane supplies drive to ensure that people in need have the essentials they need to prepare for and cope with the effects of these storms.
“We’ve been running an ongoing Hurricane Supply Drive,” said Angie B. Walasek, executive director of United Way of Hernando County. “These items are distributed to individuals impacted by a storm or passed out to residents in preparation for a storm.”
#HernandoPrepares is the official hashtag for this drive, with administrators accepting donations of Batteries (all sizes), cleaning supplies, dish and hand soap, toiletry items, matches/lighters, small toolkits, toilet paper/paper towels, manual can openers, non-perishable foods, gallon/bottled water, garbage bags (all sizes), wet wipes and flashlights.
Collected items can be dropped off at United Way, 4028 Commercial Way, Spring Hill, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call (352) 688-2026.
Also providing storm relief supplies is Hernando HOPE (Helping Other People with Empathy), founded by Ellen Paul, and named a Hernando Sun Local Hero in 2022. HOPE serves homeless and impoverished people. Volunteers and cash donations are needed for the effort at this time. Call 352-600-9555 for more information.
HOPE has much to give, both in terms of supplies and information. Aside from providing both emergency and long-term storm relief efforts, Hernando HOPE seeks to connect the homeless and impoverished with food, housing and employment resources, and, in the future, Paul hopes to train volunteers to educate those in need about economic matters and other vital issues.
“We could ALWAYS use blankets, sheets and towels, but even more so as our homeless friends dry out,” said Paul. “We could also use the money to use at laundromats. After every storm that dumps water on their camps, tents flood, and bedding and clothing are damaged. Everything has to be washed, or it molds and mildew. Cash donations buy laundry soap, time on laundromat washers and dryers, and transportation to and from.”
Barbara Sprague, CEO/Executive Director of Community Food Bank, which boasts eight satellite locations at nonprofits throughout Hernando County, wants the public to know that—in the wake of Hurricane Debby—help is available. Donate to CFB at https://feed352.org/donate/. The Black Diamond Foundation will match every donation from now until August 31st.
So, when you donate $50, you are making $100 worth of impact to help feed families throughout the Nature Coast.
“We are blessed to have weathered Debby and continue to focus on getting our most vulnerable populations the assistance they need,” she said. “Often homeless encampments are washed out, and power outages cause a loss of what little food a family may have; we encourage those in need to reach out to their local food pantry to get restocked with healthy foods. They can find their local pantries at FEED352.org/food-agencies or by connecting to 211.”
