Love Your Neighbor

Brooksville, Florida, community and businesses partner together to assist struggling families and the homeless. Since July, 2007, "anyone who's hungry" (over 200 people weekly) has been welcomed to a free Sunday Dinner where, through donations and approximately 250 volunteer hours/week, tons of food, clothing, toiletries, blankets & bikes have been given away. Relationships developed over dinner have created community awareness of a previously ignored sector of society and resulted in mentoring life skills, hiring the unemployed, housing the homeless, repairing neglected homes, and providing medical help to the indigent.

 

The Challenge

Hernando County ranks near the top in unemployment and low income, with nearly 11% falling below the poverty level. There are only 12 beds available to homeless men and 6 for women in the county, with another 40 for at- risk women and their children. Housing is not available for homeless families.

Funding for utility assistance runs out within 20 minutes on the first day of each month and subsidized housing can take up to 3 years. Food pantries are scarce and offer food only once per month. With widespread unemployment and household expenses increasing daily, the situation continues to worsen.

 

The Solution

We must come together as a community and pool our resources.

Compassion organizations need to work with churches, businesses, and government. We need to come together to help those who have fallen on hard times.

With 400 plus volunteers, Love Your Neighbor has manpower to work along side other organizations in times of need. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and religious backgrounds, putting differences aside in order to Love our Neighbors.

We are planning a series of community farms using hydroponics. Fresh fruits and vegetables will be given to the needy and sold locally to help support the ministry.



 

 


October 21, 2007
It's 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon. Cars begin to pull into the yard at American Legion Post 99 on Fort Dade Avenue.  Read more

November 11, 2007
Brooksville resident and Navy veteran Charles Olson, 87, hasn’t talked about World War II in more than 60 years. He never had time.  Read more