PLATINUM2023

Christian Sharing Center, Inc.

Preventing hunger and homelessness since 1986

aka The Sharing Center   |   Longwood, FL   |  www.thesharingcenter.org

Mission

Through Christ, we provide dignified solutions for those experiencing poverty and homelessness.

Ruling year info

1987

President/CEO

Ms. Nina Yon

Main address

600 N Hwy 17-92 Suite 130

Longwood, FL 32750 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

South Seminole Christian Sharing Center

Values Reborn

Sanford Christian Sharing Center

EIN

59-2744535

NTEE code info

Emergency Assistance (Food, Clothing, Cash) (P60)

Food Banks, Food Pantries (K31)

Counseling Support Groups (F60)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The Sharing Center is widely considered to be the premier nonprofit, social-services hub in Seminole County. In addition to expertly meeting the immediate needs of the hungry and homeless in Seminole County through its expanded Pantry and Oasis - respite center for those experiencing homelessness. We aim to focus on implementing solutions that quantifiably reduce the burdens of poverty in the county. The success of ProjectRISE, a workforce development program will move hundreds of individuals and families from economic uncertainty to stability. The Sharing Center’s modernized campus is becoming a one-stop campus to provide wrap-around service providers to provide directly or through partnerships, on-site medical care, mental health and wellness testing, educational and employment opportunities, legal aid, and housing assistance.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Families In Crisis: Critical Assistance to Prevent Home Instability

Families in Crisis: Through Families in Crisis, our case managers are able to provide life-changing essentials to our neighbors in need. When an unforeseen emergency arises such as unemployment, medical emergencies, or car troubles, over 40% of Seminole County residences have less than $400 in savings to cover it. For individuals experiencing acute hardship, The Sharing Center provides relief through rent, mortgage, and utility assistance.

Paired with a case manager, families in crisis will receive compassionate and individualized support including help budgeting, navigating benefits, and employment referrals. Families may also receive basic essentials such as food, household goods, clothing as well as referrals to other community resources. These vital emergency services allow families to prevent evictions, keep the lights on and maintain transportation for work.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Families
Unemployed people

LifeBuilder: LifeBuilder is a 3-year intensive program designed to help financially at-risk families transition out of homelessness, into self-sufficiency and independence. This program offers financial assistance and life skills courses to empower families to escape homelessness, build savings and provide consistent education to their children. Working parents with school-aged children team up with a case manager to help navigate barriers to financial stability and achieve their family goals.

LifeBuilder is designed to help 10 homeless families stabilize through a "housing first" model that settles a family in permanent housing with wrap-around services. Each month families are coached on improving credit, budgeting, self-esteem, and nutrition through expert-led workshops. In addition to financial assistance and lifeskills education, families are able to receive furniture, clothing, food, and basic essentials to support their transition to stability.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Families

The Oasis: The Oasis is the only drop-in center for the homeless community of its kind in Seminole County. The Oasis is a safe haven and place of respite during difficult times, helping restore dignity and hope for those struggling with homelessness. Our homeless neighbors in need can visit The Oasis for a warm shower, laundry service, and housing guidance from a trained case manager, all free. Oasis clients can receive mail, charge their phones, find a nutritious meal and take advantage of on-site computers to work on resumes, apply for jobs or other resources as well as to keep in touch with family.

Population(s) Served
Homeless people
Families

The Pantry: The Sharing Center’s food pantry is the largest free food pantry in Seminole County helping alleviate hunger. Everyone who visits the Pantry is cared for with dignity and respect and receives two bags of hand-selected nutritionally balanced groceries for each member of the family. Last year, The Sharing Center provided nearly 65,863 bags of groceries to our neighbors in need. The Sharing Center also manages an auxiliary pantry at the Seminole County Health Department to reach more hungry families in our community. Our growing collaborations with local grocers, restaurants, and schools are helping to distribute more than 1.4 million pounds of food annually. This year, The Sharing Center is on pace to distribute 90,000 bags of groceries to neighbors in need.

Families and individuals can visit The Pantry fives times per year for assistance, as well as 3 times during the holidays at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Families

Where we work

Awards

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Estimated dollar value of clothing and household goods donations

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Families In Crisis: Critical Assistance to Prevent Home Instability

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Through The Sharing Center's robust social enterprise retail operation, The Village Shoppes, clients receive gently used clothing and household goods to help give them a fresh start on their journey.

Number of hygiene kits distributed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Infants and toddlers, Children and youth

Related Program

Oasis: Seminole County’s Only Homeless Drop-In Resource Center

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

For clients who are unhoused, hygiene kits provide respite and dignity while they get back on their feet.

Number of partner churches

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

The Sharing Center is proud to have grown our faith-based community support from 17 to 94 diverse spiritual partners who provide referrals, financial assistance, in-kind donations, and volunteers.

Number of youth who volunteer/participate in community service

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adolescents

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of clients receiving the grocery shopping services

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Families

Related Program

Food Pantry: Seminole County’s Largest Free Food Pantry

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

The Pantry provides 2 bags of nutritionally balanced groceries or a week's worth of groceries valued at $30 per bag, per household member, for families facing food insecurity.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

AGENCY GOALSPROGRAMS:1. Continue to empower families through our Families in Crisis, LifeBuilder, and REACH programs to help them regain stability by assisting them with advocacy, wrap-around services, referrals through our network of collaborative partners, and emergency financial aid2. Continue to provide clothing, food, and household goods to offset family expenses3. Encourage clients to use our free professional services and increase their participation by 10%:      a. Mental health counseling for stress, anger, and anxiety that are at peak levels for families facing             economic upheaval      b. Career counseling for interview, resumes, job searches, training, and placement      c. Legal counseling and advice for legal issues      d. VITA income tax preparation services.4.Continue to offer our holiday food baskets, shoe gift cards, transportation assistance, and Amway nutritional and health products. DEVELOPMENT: 1. Continue to steward existing partnerships and develop new relationships for sponsors, donors, and foundations2. Continue to grow our volunteer base by engaging more families and faith-based groups for on-going onsite assistance, and employee teams for corporate-group “day of service” projects3. Continue with grant revenue to replace current non-restricted funding with direct programmatic funding from foundations and other corporate partners.THRIFT STORE/DONATION CENTER (DC):1.  Through sales and donations, continue to generate $1M+ in income and $2.25+M in received goods 2. Continue to excel in customer service to donating families at the donation door and shoppers at the thrift store3. Increase efficiency by equipping both the stores and the DC with additional volunteers to sort, price, test electronics, and stock the shelves and clothing racks with fresh inventory.HUMAN RESOURCES (HR):1. Provide HR support to staff and leadership to ensure continuation of agency culture and employee satisfaction2. Continue with all-hands staff meetings to keep all staff fully informed about The Sharing Center 3. Continue to focus on leasing units to services that are supportive of TSC’s mission and willing to be collaborative partners with our client services team.BOARD OF DIRECTORS:•Ensure efficient governance of TSC and Sharing Center Properties with legal compliance with all governing rules and regulations•Seek new ways for Board members expand their roles and responsibilities to ensure our sustainability.

TSC’s mission of strengthening families when they are financially vulnerable by preventing hunger and homelessness is accomplished through these important strategies:CASE MANAGEMENT AND CLIENT SERVICES PROGRAMS  • Continue to provide high quality compassionate and effective case management by maintaining client dignity through program standards• Seek out and schedule additional volunteers to assist in the Oasis and LifeBuilder programs• Continue to seek out and write formal collaborations, for example, for housing, childcare, medical care, dental care, and substance abuse help, bringing needed services on-site for added convenience to clients• Continue to seek funding for thebLifeBuilder program, building financial reserves to enable more housing and other emergency financial assistance• Research ability to offer after-hours emergency contact for potential/existing clients in need of law enforcement.FAITH-BASED RELATIONS  • Continue to grow and strengthen our alliances with local faith-based organizations (i.e. HAFA/Hands and Feet Alliance); hold meetings on campus to further support TSC• Keep faith-based communities engaged through food and goods drives, as well as newsletters and quarterly/non-asking letters thanking each group for their involvement; include a success story OR a successful volunteer project. VOLUNTEERS  • Continue to grow TSC’s Family Volunteer Night project• Engage more companies, faith communities, and organizations for volunteer opportunities • Continue emailing Volunteer newsletter to keep current volunteers engaged• Utilize online forms to engage more volunteers. GRANTS  • Continue to explore and identify potential relationships within Central Florida for corporate and foundation grant opportunities• Continue to explore and identify additional fundraising partners and grant opportunities through community connections, such as TSC volunteers and board connections• Continue to build a robust grants department to replace unrestricted money with programmatic funding, utilizing valuable unrestricted funding to cover administrative costs, build a reserve, start an endowment, etc. DEVELOPMENT & FUNDRAISING  • Continue to engage and steward individual, family, and corporate donors• Cultivate new major donors to increase cash revenue and financial gifts • Increase involvement in local and regional civic groups, Chambers of Commerce, etc  • Develop communication plans for donor outreach that directly support marketing plan strategies • Establish goal for fundraising at 10% of cash budget• Explore additional fundraising partners through community connections, such as using volunteers as a vehicle to inquire about and receive grant invitations• Conduct annual winter (Christmas) and summer direct mail fundraising campaigns.NEW BUSINESS, PROFESSIONAL, AND CIVIC PARTNERS  • Encourage use of TSC conference space by outside agencies to grow awareness of TSC programs.

Since 1986, TSC has continued to ensure that our assistance is compassionate, sustainable, and effective. From our client services’ programs to our thrift store to our homeless drop-in resource center, we are continually raising our standards of care, while maintaining our ideology of dignity and respect. UNIQUE OPERATIONS: 1. TSC operates Seminole County’s only homeless drop-in resource center, providing showers, haircuts, laundry services, food, mental health counseling, and case management for our homeless clients.2. TSC operates the largest FREE food pantry in the county, as well as stocking/managing the free food pantry at Seminole County’s Health Department. 3. Our case manager programs go far beyond what other agencies do to help prevent homelessness. We are able to accept more low-income families who are turned away from other agencies because our large donor base and thrift store revenue allow financial flexibility. Furthermore, our clients understand that we will advocate for them throughout their journey, providing individual care and resources.4. No other nonprofit operates an agency that annually outreaches $3M+ with a wide array of free services.FY 2018-2019 RESOURCES-EXTERNAL/DONATIONS: TSC received donations of over $1.3M/cash and $3M/in-kind--enabling TSC to continue operations, independent of government or foundation grants. As the majority of our funding is unrestricted, case managers have the flexibility to help clients with fewer restrictions placed by funders.RESOURCES-EXTERNAL/PROPERTY: TSC owns the Fairmont Plaza, where we occupy 70% of 36,050 SF of our property; rental income from the remaining 30% helps offset our expenses and provides sustainability.RESOURCES-INTERNAL/STAFF: Our case managers have over 90 years of combined experience, giving clients the most comprehensive service available in the area. CLIENT ACCESSIBILITY: Our campus conveniently creates a “one-stop” central location for clients because many of our community partners are either tenants or maintain a part-time/free office on campus. Their services include support for sexual assault, medical services, substance abuse, mental health counseling, tax preparation, legal assistance, employment assistance/placement, and food stamps assistance.CONNECTIONS: TSC staff and board have strong community ties, building and stewarding relationships as well as garnering support from faith-based groups, businesses, civic groups, chambers of commerce, schools, local governments, other agencies, and more.LONGEVITY: TSC has been in Seminole County for 34 years, building a reputation as the lead organization for preventing hunger and homelessness in our community. VOLUNTEERS: Over 60 weekly/regularly-scheduled, enthusiastic volunteers work in our stores, the distribution center, and the food pantry as well as group volunteers from businesses who want to donate a day of service. Last fiscal year, over 1,700 people donated over 46,000 hours to help our clients remain stable.

Our long-term goal, to eliminate homelessness for at-risk/chronically homeless households through prevention and stabilization, is achievable through case management, in-kind resources, and financial assistance. These  elements can prevent a family’s decline into homelessness. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Case managers address client barriers and challenges faced daily: low levels of education, lack of financial understanding and goals, lack of childcare, language barriers, no employment or underemployment, and lack of proper priorities regarding family needs. Our programs offer distinct solutions to help with these barriers by:•Preventing homelessness by assisting families with rapid re-housing and/or expenses that would otherwise prevent housing stability•Providing wrap-a-round services (mental health counseling, legal counseling childcare referrals, employment counseling/training/placement,etc.) to further reduce a risk of homelessness•Providing a drop-in resource center to chronically homeless individuals and families that can address their immediate hygienic, employment, and case management needs•Providing our FIC program to keep families housed through food assistance, in-kind resources, and case management help •Using our REACH and LifeBuilder programs to keep families with children stable and housed through case management, food assistance, in-kind resources, free collaborative partner professional services, and emergency financial assistance•Helping our clients understand that they are not alone and that TSC is there for support and help throughout their journey.LESSONS LEARNED Through our decades of working with at-risk and homeless families, TSC case managers have refined our program tools to better fit our clients' needs. Case managers now:•Perform a more rigorous screening program and assistance screening for our applicant families•Allow clients sufficient time to make progress on their individual goals before making a determination of success or failure•Use HUD’s HMIS database system to eliminate duplication of services•Maintain flexibility with program funding to better address individual family circumstances•Insist on family meetings and workshop participation•Assist coordinating affordable housing for families with multiple evictions and for ex-felons.LARGEST EXISTING OBSTACLE TSC’s lacks sufficient funding to truly impact and halt a family's decline. For our low-income client families who exist on the edge of financial ruin, the smallest financial upset can become catastrophic, often setting forcing them to choose between food for their children or fuel for their work vehicle. One auto accident or one major illness is enough to put a family at risk for losing their home and becomes even more apparent when we cannot place a family in permanent housing due to Central Florida's low inventory of safe and affordable housing. Funding financial support mechanisms is the key to overcoming poverty and homelessness.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

Christian Sharing Center, Inc.
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Christian Sharing Center, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 08/08/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Steve Reed

Retired, Ross Stores Inc.

Term: 2021 - 2023

Brigit Zamora

Sempermed USA

Brian Cox

Merrill Lynch - The Burke/Cox Group

Shannon Campbell

Campbell Law

Steve Reed

Retired

Marilyn Moran

Ford Harrison LLP Partner

Ricardo Alicea

Wendover Group

David Dowda

Longwood Police Department

Michael Eastham

Fellowship Financial Group

Cindy Ryan

Ryan Law, LP

Ryan Cipparone

Cipparone & Cipparone P.A.

Patrick Rzeszut

Waste Connections of Florida

Andrew Lannon

Bogin, Munns, and Munns, PA

Cliff Long

Orlando Regional Realtor Association

Pauline Ho

Laus Consulting

Gail Bittman

Travelers Insurance Company

Lee Johnson

AdventHeatlh

Mary Sherris

Sherris Legal, P.A.

Pastor Paul Hoyer

Central Florida Cross Network

Michael Heald

Purvis Gray

Ling Dang

Addition Financial Credit Union

Rich O'Brien

First Colony Bank

Ron Davoli

Wharton-Smith Inc.

Bob Turnage

Retired

Larry Bonner

Duke Energy

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/9/2023

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Asian/Asian American
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 09/24/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.