Pathways to Care held its annual Soup Bowl Supper fundraiser at St. Mary Magdalen Parish. The event took place on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Soup Bowl Supper
According to a report with The Florida Catholic, Pathways to Care is a nonprofit that seeks to help homeless men and women get a new lease on life.
The nonprofit partnered with 16 different area restaurants to serve warm bowls of soup for their patrons.
Guests at the fundraiser got to choose from 16 varieties of soup. They also received a free handcrafted bowl as a token of the nonprofit's appreciation.
The nonprofit is a ministry of Catholic Charities of Central Florida. The annual event seeks to gather parishioners and leaders from different parishes.
There were also guests from non-Catholic churches.
Charitable Event
Orlando Bishop John Noonan, Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari, and Deacon Jim Feruzzi helped dish out warm soup during the charitable event.
Msgr. John Bluett, the founder of Pathways to Care, welcomed guests to the event. He thanked them for their generosity and reminded them of their mission.
Second Chance in Life
For the residents of Pathways to Care, the rehabilitation facility was a Godsend. Calvin Moses understood the tumultuous life of being a drug addict.
He shared how his life became a series of bad decisions when he chose drugs. Moses found himself couch surfing and in prison over the past years.
Last year, he hit rock bottom when doctors diagnosed him with Stage 2 colon cancer. Moses had surgery and found himself with nowhere to go for a safe recovery.
That was when he discovered the Pathways to Care.
Moses credited the nonprofit for turning his life around. The staff welcomed him into the facility when many rejected him.
He soon found new friends who accepted them for who he was. Moses was recovering from his demons. The rehabilitation facility also helped connect him to his family.
Moses is getting his life back on track. He credited the nonprofit for turning his life around after being “stuck in a seemingly endless cycle.”
He shared that he was always broke because he was preoccupied with funding his addiction. It was only through the help of the nonprofit that he realized that there was so much more to life than drugs.
Moses found friends and people who care for him at Pathways to Care. Because of them, he said he knew he was worth something.
Today, he is in their Step 2 Program. The said initiative will lead him to independent living. Moses is also working towards his degree and working during the day.
Assisted Living Facility
According to the Pathways to Care website, the facility opened in 2003. It is described as a not-for-profit licensed Assisted Living Facility.
The nonprofit also seeks to deliver medical services to the homeless community. They also bring essential services with loving care.
Pathways to Care also serves as a post-hospital resource and a discharge solution. The nonprofit expanded its services in 2015.
They established its bridge housing option called Pathways Step2 as a chance for the homeless community to have permanent housing.
The nonprofit works with hospital systems, the Veteran’s Administration, Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS network (HOPWA), faith-based organizations, local governments and businesses, community agencies, and other medical entities.
