I had the pleasure of visiting the new location for People Helping People on Thursday, September 29, 2016, and be a part of their open house. This new location provides a permanent home for PHP, and allows the homeless to have an address to list when applying for services or jobs.
I received the grand tour of their facility and a view of what they hope it to be in the future. It was exciting to see all they have done and want to do. They are run completely by volunteers, and every cent brought into PHP goes right back out through their many outreach programs. The things they are doing for the community is amazing.
My particular visit was centered around one specific program that I read about on their website. It’s called Weekend Blessings, and it is all about helping kids. This program partners with local churches and public schools to help feed kids in Hernando County that would otherwise go hungry on the weekends. Local public schools identify kids who are in need of this program and every week hundreds of backpacks are filled with enough food for the weekend, and delivered to each student by the end of the school day on Friday. The backpacks are returned on Monday and the entire process starts again. As of last year, 630 kids participated in this wonderful program. The average cost per child per school year is $150.00. Add that up and it is nearly $100,000 a year that is going to help feed hungry children.
I met with coordinator for the Weekend Blessings, Maureen Follansbee who provided me with the tour of the PHP location and also graciously took me to view one of the local pantries and backpack locations for this program. Each school has a team and they are in charge of their location, stocking their pantry, packing the backpacks, and collecting them again. She indicated that the program began about 7 years ago with one school, Spring Hill Elementary, and has grown from there.
Last month the Joy FM did a collection that went straight to the Weekend Blessings. That collection alone brought in 29,000 pounds of food and an additional $300+ in gift cards and checks. There is always a greater need, to reach more children. You can help by providing a money donation to the program, or items for the backpacks; such as individual size cereals, mac & cheese, tuna or chicken & crackers, granola bars, juice boxes, canned pastas, or any items that would be easy for a child to open on their own.
Currently there are three additional Blessings programs. Neighborhood Blessings provides ready-to-eat food, toiletries, and other items to the homeless. Senior Blessings provides food monthly to 300 seniors in subsidized housing. This helps fill the gap of the assistance they already receive and what they need. Sunday Blessing provides a free hot meal to the needy. This program is run by Ron Vanmatre and I was able to spend a few minutes with him finding out more about this program. He said 80% of the meals are donated by big chain restaurants in the area, and the meal is served every Sunday except when Christmas falls on a Sunday. Unlike usual soup kitchens each person who attends is treated like a guest. They are seated and waited on by a group of volunteers.
People Helping People in Hernando County is located at 1396 Kass Circle. PHP began in 2009, helping to feed the hungry of Hernando County, and they have many programs and partners to help as many as they can. One of those partners is the Crescent Clinic, and Maureen Soliman, Director of Development at the clinic was part of the open house. They are currently in need of services that local businesses can provide, or financial help to keep their current location up and running. If you would like to volunteer your services or provide financial support please contact PHP at 352-686-4466 or check out their website www.phpinhc.org, where you can also find out more about them and the wonderful programs they offer.