HARDEE COUNTY, Fla. — In October, ABC Action News profiled the Hardee Help Center as part of our new ABC Action News Gives campaign, awarding the nonprofit $10,000.
We decided to check in with the team at Hardee Help Center to see where their needs are today and if they got the new van they desperately need.
"So we did have the van repaired, and it didn't cost us anything [a mechanic donated his time], so we have the full ten grand that we're saving to put towards a new van," Jill Vaillancourt told ABC Action News. "Our dream would be to have a 2023 Ford Transit Cargo Van. And that's kind of what our target is."
The van is used to pick up supplies for the community, from food pantry runs to diapers, and hauling supplies to community events. Vaillancourt said staff is scared to drive the van out of fear they'll be stranded, so many are using their cars to ferry goods.
"It is running. It sputters and putters. And we found out that this last repair was a problem different from the original, which we thought was a big problem," Vaillancourt said. "It's not very reliable, and just due to the economy, food is a big need. So we're seeing a lot of requests come in because the grocery stores are so expensive."
Vaillancourt told me the needs in the community continue to grow as families still haven't recovered from Hurricane Ian.
"I can tell you that since the storm, we took in about 265 applications," she said. "205 of those are Ian related, with 87 of those cases still open. Then there's the third: we have 33 open for financial assistance that aren't related to the storm."
The nonprofit received a $50,000 grant from Mosaic and also got funding to hire more staff.
"The staff is tired, so I do have some job openings. If anybody is looking for a job, we are trying to hire part of the Mosaic grant that came with some funding for staffing over the next three years," Vaillancourt said.
Because of the economy and continued shortages, Vaillancourt said they are still looking for the Ford cargo van, but will keep trying.
"We're on the hunt for something lightly used or brand new," Vaillancourt said. "We're so excited. We're grateful that Mosaic, that the viewers of ABC Action News see the work we're doing and invest so much into us so we can invest in the community. We're so grateful."
