Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis ventured to Panama City to hand out $140,000 in checks from Hope Florida, a group that connects low-income families with churches and other groups to provide basic needs, to seven nonprofits in the Northwest Florida region.
Both lauded Hope Florida — which is led by Casey DeSantis — as a groundbreaking way to help residents in need, avoiding a cumbersome bureaucracy while helping them to eventually get off welfare.
“It’s not just about statecraft, people need soulcraft,” Gov. DeSantis said. “People need to be able to have those types of resources provided.”
Casey DeSantis elaborated, noting that churches and other nonprofits often have plenty of resources but don’t know where people in need are. Her Hope Florida group helps connect families with needs to groups that can provide help.
“All of the faith-based communities compete to see who can get it first,” Casey DeSantis said. “We can only do that by bringing the government in collaboration and coordination with the key people on the ground in the community.”
The groups that received checks include Vision of Hope, which provides school to workforce assistance to disabled children; Be Generous, which helps women suffering from domestic violence by providing safe homes and other resources; First Baptist Church of Pensacola, which Casey DeSantis said has fulfilled more than 200 need request through Hope Florida; A Bed 4 Me Foundation, which provides beds to children in need; Food for Thought Outreach, which gives food to children in need; St. Andrew Christian Care Center, located in Panama City; and Caring & Sharing of South Walton, which provides clothing, food, rent, utility and prescription assistance to needy families. Each group received a $20,000 check.
Hope Florida is funded by private donations and has served more than 100,000 Floridians while helping 30,000 reduce or eliminate the government assistance they receive, DeSantis said.
Hope Florida “serves as an alternative pathway for families that would otherwise get caught on that never-ending hamster wheel that leads to overreliance on government assistance,” said Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris. “It’s the antidote to bureaucracy.”
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