History of Cape Coral Caring Center

The mid-80's brought increasing numbers of homeless people to Southwest Florida resulting in growing concern about how best to respond to the need. At about the same time Father James Hardison, an Episcopal priest with Florida Impact, presented a video of interviews he had conducted with homeless people throughout the state to an audience in Fort Myers. In attendance were service providers, concerned citizens and Rev. Richard J Hafer, then senior pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Cape Coral. Pastor Hafer continued the discussion begun by Father Hardison in a series of meetings at his church and eventually with the Cape Coral Ministerial Association. The Ministerial Association elected to formalize the process by inviting member churches to send representatives to what would become the steering committee that created the Cape Coral Caring Center.

It was recognized that a central clearing location was needed to be in place to which those in need could be referred. The Cape Coral Ministerial Association generated the Cape Coral Caring Center to fill that void and thus the Caring Center became a vital entity in the community.

The churches provided volunteers, cash and food stuffs to structure the Center and in concert with the Cape Coral Kiwanis Club, who supplemented the cash needs of the agency were able to help 500 individuals that first year.

Today, eighteen years later and in September at the end of their current fiscal year, the Caring Center recorded 7,909 individuals equating to approximately 2,630 families helped in the year 2007. As the population in Cape Coral grows, so too, do those families in need grow in direct proportion.

The mission of the Cape Coral Caring Center is "to help sustain a suitable standard of living for all citizens of Cape Coral". To accomplish this mission there are four areas of assistance which are addressed:

• A food pantry from which bags of food are distributed for preparation in the home. (No reason for anyone to know hunger in "Paradise")
• Utility assistance for electric and water bills when threatened with shut-off of service from non-payment.
• Limited assistance with rents where threatened by eviction.
• 4.Finally – assistance with doctor prescribed pharmacy for children when the family cannot afford.

These services are available to residents of Cape Coral on a limited basis. The Center is an emergency agency for the short term.

We currently enjoy continued support from churches, clubs, organizations and individuals along with grants from HUD through the City government and FEMA funds filtered through United Way.

"We help those, who will help themselves"

Cape Coral People Taking Care of Cape Coral People