- February 6, 2025
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Josh Ramos stood in a warehouse filled with piles of boxes, some open some not, that contained a variety of items, from toilet tissue to diapers to toys. The boxes had been brought in by the trailer load from stores such as Target, Walmart and Sears.
Those items would later be sorted and shelved for qualified families and individuals to purchase at a fraction of the sticker price.
This is the Community Hope Center, a program under the Harvest Time nonprofit that was created to help people in need.
The requirements to shop at the Hope Center are based on the federal government's 200% poverty guidelines, meaning $24,000 per year for an individual. People who qualify for food stamps can also shop at the center, which has been open for the past seven years.
"Our vision is to give a hand up," said Ramos, the Volusia district director. "We don't foster the mindset or philosophy of getting hand-me-downs. Our goal is not be here for people to just rely on permanently, it's to be there for seasonal purposes."
Through the program, trailers of returned store items are purchased and brought to the facility. Ramos explained that much of the time the items were packaged incorrectly or weren't the right color or size.
"Instead of these items going to a landfill, we come and repurpose them ... " Ramos said. "At the end of the day, you don't use the packaging anyway."
Because the items are purchased by the trailer load, it can be a gamble what the center receives. Still, enough essentials have been brought in that around 200 families come in to shop each day the center is open.
Linda Milledge is one of those people.
"I like it. It's a good thing," Milledge said. "I've saved thousands of dollars."
But the program has become more than just a way to provide discounted items to people throughout the community; it has created jobs. Ramos said that after seeing how hard some of the volunteers have worked, management decided to hire them full-time.
The process comes full circle when the employees get to see the people coming in the shop for necessities.
Kimberly Thomas, a stocker who has been working at the Hope Center for about three months, said one of the most impactful times was during Christmas.
"They were able to get more stuff for their children," Thomas said. "They don't make much, but that helped them a lot."
