Page 8 - Stuart Exposure - October '24

Page 8, Stuart Exposure

Good works

House Of Hope Creates Local Bakery Launches Customers who order the bakery’s signature Perri bread can
Disaster Kits With Grant Special Product For purchase the gratitude loaf for a discount, and The Good Loaf
will deliver it free of charge.
“Foster parents open their hearts and homes to take in
From The Community Foster Parents abused, neglected and abandoned children,” Natalizio said.
Foundation Martin-St. Lucie Denise Natalizio knows foster care; she’s made a life “Let’s come together as a community to give back to those
who have given so much to our community.”
If you live paycheck to paycheck, it’s almost impossible supporting local people who open their hearts and their homes Like many people trying to fill their time during the
to gather the supplies you’ll need before a hurricane or the to children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. lockdown of 2020, Natalizio began baking bread for her
resources you’ll need to recover. Natalizio is the Martin County director and director of friends and neighbors during the COVID pandemic. And last
The House of Hope staff know this story all too well: foster parent licensing for Communities Connected for Kids, year, she started baking sourdough.
low-income families who go into a hurricane without the nonprofit organization that oversees the child-welfare She opened The Good Loaf Bakery this July.
the ability to stock up on supplies, households who lose system in Okeechobee and the Treasure Coast. “I really loved giving away bread, and seeing how that
precious perishable food when the electricity goes out, When she decided to open her own cottage industry – The makes people feel,” she said. “I started following micro-
hourly workers who can’t get paid because their places of Good Loaf Bakery – foster care was still first in mind. bakery women online and thought, ‘Hey, I can do that.’”
employment are shuttered. Indeed, she debuted the gratitude loaf, a sourdough
Thanks to a designated disaster-relief fund established recipe dedicated to foster parents, within weeks of opening. Good Works on page 9
through The Community Foundation of Martin-St. Lucie,
nonprofits like the House of Hope are able to be proactive
in providing clients with hurricane-preparedness kits before MartinVotes.gov
the storm and responding quickly after it.
“Historically, in the middle of the storm, I would be
Early
preparing to reach out to our clients and friends to say,
‘Okay, it’s real. The storm hit. We’re going to need to help
the frontline organizations really quickly,’” The Community Early
Foundation Martin-St. Lucie CEO Elizabeth Barbella
said. “And when the dust settled, we’d be reaching out to
organizations asking for some type of simple application and
then deploying the resource.” Voting

November 5th Presidential Election

|
Oct 21st - Nov 2nd, 2024 8 am - 5 pm

Elections Center  Elisabeth Lahti Library  Hoke Library
Robert Morgade Library  Hobe Sound Library
Peter & Julie Cummings Library

772.288.5637
Spanish Hotline: 833.912.1314

*Vote by Mail secure ballot intake stations available during Early Voting.
Community partners and volunteers, including a team from Lugares de votación anticipada para las elecciones presidenciales del 5 de noviembre. Del 21 de
Macy’s, helped House of Hope pack supplies into 1,150 kits octubre al 2 de noviembre. Horario de 8 am a 5 pm. Biblioteca Elisabeth Lahti, Biblioteca Hobe
for vulnerable households and for individuals experiencing Sound, Biblioteca Hoke, Biblioteca Peter & Julie Cummings, Biblioteca Robert Morgade y Centro
homelessness in Martin, St. Lucie and Okeechobee Counties Electoral. Línea directa en español 833.912.1314. *Estaciones seguras de recepción de boletas por
so they’ll be better prepared for hurricane season. correo disponibles durante la votación anticipada.

The Local Disaster Relief Fund gives donors an
opportunity to set aside funds in advance of a hurricane
or other disaster. Their proactive philanthropy gives
nonprofits like House of Hope the knowledge that
resources will be there when needed.
“Now we can plan, knowing we will have the resources
in place and ready to go when our clients need them,”
House of Hope CEO Rob Ranieri said. “It will make us
an effective resource for the lower income community,
and it will be almost instant, like flipping a switch.”
This summer House of Hope began using funds from
the program to assemble 1,150 hurricane preparedness
kits, including 250 that have additional supplies for
those experiencing homelessness. Supplies include Life moves fast—
nonperishable food, flashlights, batteries, water, tarps,

hand sanitizer, a manual can opener, garbage bags, a first prepare for the unexpected
aid kit, tents, bug spray, and string bags.
Without this assistance, most of the organization’s with Accident Insurance.
clients wouldn’t be able to stockpile supplies, said House
of Hope CEO Rob Ranieri. “It’s a couple hundred bucks
they don’t have in their budget.”
House of Hope is taking the lead in working with
partner agencies in neighboring counties, distributing
support to Mustard Seed and GraceWay Village in St. We’re here to help.
Lucie County and Our Village in Okeechobee County.
“We’re grateful to The Community Foundation and its
donors for the incredible foresight to plan ahead and put Accident insurance complements your Florida Blue Health Plan. Call to learn more
a structure in place that will greatly benefit the people we about insurance plans from USAble Life.
serve,” Ranieri said. “The Local Disaster Relief Fund is
an ingenious concept and a lifesaver.” M&A Insurance and Financial Services Inc.
To learn more about House of Hope or to donate, visit 561-440-9940
House of Hope’s website at www.hohmartin.org or call
(772) 286-4673. Updates and announcements can also be M&A Insurance and Financial Services Inc. is an Independent Broker of Florida Blue.
found on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Florida Blue is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Supplemental, Life, and Disability products are offered by USAble Life. USAble Life is an independent company
and operates separately from Florida Blue.
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