Shepherd's Hope celebrated its 25th year of serving the local community. The event took place on Friday, March 25. 

Celebrating 25 Years of Service

In a report with Orange Observer, the nonprofit celebrated the event with its staff members, volunteers, and partners. Some members of the community also joined the celebration. 

The attendees were treated to games, prizes, food, and live music. The event was a way for the nonprofit to thank those who made the vision of the nonprofit alive. 

Staff, volunteers, and partners took part in the games and activities for a chance to win prizes. It was also a chance for the nonprofit to give back to the local community and thank them. 

Healing Kitchen

The highlight of the event was the opening of the nonprofit's new kitchen. 

Founder Williams Barnes and Board Chair Jamie Lynch took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new building. 

Disney Ambassador Aly Manion was one of the special guests who attended the event. She announced that Disney would be donating all the appliances for the building's new kitchen.

Shepherd's Hope CEO Pamela Gould and Vice President of Operations Abby Rice also awarded the volunteers of the year. 

According to the website, the ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiled the nonprofit's expanded medical and healthy living services. Its new programs included the new HEALing Kitchen and micro-farm.

Caring People, Caring For People 

According to the nonprofit's website, the organization lives by the code: "We are Caring People, Caring For People." 

Shepherd's Hope is a nonprofit that provides free medical services to the uninsured and underinsured in Central Florida. The organization was founded in 1997. Since then, the nonprofit has provided over 300,000 free patient visits and medical services. 

According to the website, the nonprofit has conducted more than 20,000 free patient visits in 2019. These services were provided to the area's most vulnerable residents. 

The report also said that there are 1 in 4 Central Floridians who do not have health insurance. The reasons why they have no access to insurance vary. These might be due to "job loss, financial hardship, or an unforeseen crisis." 

Most of the patients of the nonprofit include the working poor. The nonprofit said that 43 percent of its clients are employed. 

Despite holding jobs, these patients have no access to insurance. They are also living at below 200 percent of the poverty level. 

According to the website, those who avail of the services offered by Shepherd's Hope cannot afford health insurance. Their jobs do not have healthcare coverage. 

Most of those who are underinsured are also ineligible for government-assisted programs. Shepherd's Hope said that its services "help keep the community healthy." 

According to the report, 56 percent of the patients treated said that they had no access to medical care if it were not for the help of Shepherd's Hope. Many of these clients do not seek medical attention. 

The nonprofit works with community members, volunteers, and partners to serve the underserved. 

Shepherd's Hope partners with 3,000 licensed medical and general volunteers. The nonprofit also has three community hospital systems, 100 diagnostic providers, and multi-faith partners.

More from Crossmap: Pastor partners with NASA to bring STEM tutoring programs to East Mims