Testimonials

The Pursuit of happiness during this time of uncertainty is like acquiring a miracle in this day and age for some people. So we ask the question, how do we find happiness when some things around us seem to go wrong? Some things are more real than the inspirational quotes that flood our social media feeds.

The coronavirus pandemic has unleashed health, economic and personal crises onto millions of people everywhere.

Meet Latifah, a single mother of an adorable daughter. She moved to Baltimore from New Jersey in May to start a new job and new beginnings in an uncertain time. Her job folded after the first month here and she was unable to make the rent payment for her apartment.

In the State of Maryland like most states the landlord can not evict the tenant because of failure to pay rent during this pandemic. Her Landlord illegally broke into her apartment and changed the locks to her apartment then put her belongings out.

From there her nightmare started. She and her daughter became homeless. They struggled to get accommodation for shelter right away. They slept in motels most nights but the struggle was real.

In September, things started to look bright for them, when the Over Flow shelter accommodated them into an hotel. On December 16th, the case worker at Over Flow reached out to FLO requesting our assistance to support Ms. Latifah with furniture.

Thursday, December 17th, an inspection of her apartment in Park heights was conducted.

Yesterday, Saturday, December 19th: FLO and its volunteers delivered furniture and supplies for her and daughter.

We give a heartfelt thank you to all our donors & sponsors for their generosity for the furniture & supplies giving to Ms. Latifah & her daughter.

They were so excited and filled with so much gratitude. The happiness on Latifah’s face was undeniable. She was more excited for her daughter and happy she is comfortable. She mentioned to us, her daughter wanted a Christmas tree this year and she was very appreciative we fulfilled her wish. FLO was excited to help improve their quality of life.

Meet Ms. Natasha, a single mother for 3 years she was homeless either couch surfing or living in different shelters. Through her walk in the storm, she never lost faith. On September 24th, 2020 she moved out of Pinderhughes, a shelter she had been residing. She received her key to move into a one bedroom apartment with her son in East Baltimore.

Ms. Natasha was very excited, she and her son moved into their apartment and the only belongings they had was their clothes. For 2 weeks, they lived on a tight budget, they couldn’t afford any furniture, just enough for food. So they slept on the floor and prayed things will get better. On Friday morning, Ms. Natasha approached the Resident Services Coordinator of the complex, Ms. Alexis and explained her situation. She asked her for referrals for furniture assistance.

Ms. Alexis told her, she had heard about FLO’s work on social media through our posts. She pulled up our information and she shared our contact with Ms. Natasha. Late Friday afternoon, October 2nd around 4pm, Ms. Natasha called us and asked if we could assist her with furniture. She explained her situation and due to the urgency of the matter, an inspection of her apartment was conducted the same day.

The very next day, yesterday, Saturday, October 3rd:
FLO and its volunteers delivered a bed, dresser, light bulb kit, dinning room set, bed sheets, comforters, coffee table, lamp, Fulton, bookshelf, microwave, vacuum cleaner, and much more.

We give a heartfelt thank you to all our donors & sponsors for their generosity for the furniture & supplies giving to Ms. Natasha, we also give a huge shout out to her Resident Service Coordinator, Ms. Alexis for referring her to us.

Ms. Natasha was so excited and filled with so much gratitude. We were excited to be creating a dignified setting for herself and her son with the furniture we provided and lastly improving their quality of life.

We will be serving her food, groceries and supplies every Tuesday during our weekly Mobile community outreach and continue to walk this journey with her on her road to self-sufficiency.

An individual’s state of mind trying to adjust after a residential fire can be filled with shock, anger, hopelessness, and overwhelming sense of uncertainty.

On Friday, January 29th, 2021 we received a call from Housing Authority of Baltimore City. Mr. Whipple, service coordinator at McCulloh homes reached out to us explaining the story of a senior, Ms. Taylor whom the night before had been affected adversely by a fire. He requested FLO’s assistance with furniture, food, clothing, and various other supplies in assisting their client, Ms. Taylor.

Without delay FLO accepted this request in supporting Ms. Taylor. In a week, our team lead by one of FLO’s Board of Directors, Carmen Stone Roberts coordinated daily nourishing meals catered and hand delivered by Chay’s Trays & Full Service Catering to Ms. Taylor at the temporary hotel where she was lodging.

On Wednesday, February 3rd Ms. Taylor was transferred from McCulloh Homes to Douglas Homes so her new home would be ramp accessible.

On Friday, February 5th FLO and its volunteers delivered a sofa, reclining chair, dresser, light bulb kit, China set cabinet, dining room table with chairs, bed, end tables, lamps, Tvs, cleaning supplies, clothes, groceries, and much more.

We give a heartfelt thank you to all our donors and sponsors for your great generosity. Your support helps to further our mission in such unfortunate time. Your support is in invaluable to us.

Special thanks to Housing Authority of Baltimore City for making the connection. Huge thank you to Mr. Whipple, service coordinator at McCulloh Homes and Ms. Neal, Service Coordinator at Douglas Homes for your coordination serving with care, compassion, professionalism and dignity.

Ms. Taylor couldn’t believe her eyes, in her words she mentioned “she has an attitude for gratitude.” She was filled with so much excitement and gratitude for the furniture, groceries, clothes, and supplies. She disclosed emotionally her loses which included her precious cat, family album, and lots of other irreplaceable items.

We were excited to give Ms. Taylor hope and playing a role in assisting her to rebuild creating a dignified setting and establishing stability. We will continue our mission by providing weekly groceries during our community outreach. We continue to walk with Ms. Taylor on her road to full recovery.

On January 11, 2021 we received a call from a nurse from Johns Hopkins ACT Team, ACT stands for (Assertive Community Treatment), inquiring about furniture for a client of theirs who recently moved to a home in the Latrobe homes apartment in East Baltimore. We were told she previously lived in her old apartment for over a year without any furniture.

We had the pleasure meeting Ms. Jessica, when we visited her home for an inspection, she was very laid back and expressed her desire to acquire furniture in her home. We felt more compelled to help her because she had been sleeping without a bed for far too long.

On Saturday morning, January 23rd:

FLO and its volunteers delivered a bed, dresser, coffee table, drawer, microwave, sofa bed, chair, Tvs, utensils, pots & pans, lamp, picture art frames, light bulb kit, bookshelf, rug, cleaning supplies, and much more.

We give a heartfelt thank you to all our donors and sponsors for their generosity for the furniture & supplies giving to Ms. Jessica. We were excited to be creating a dignified setting for her with the furniture we provided and lastly improving her quality of life.

She was so grateful, overwhelmed with joy for her new bedroom set and to be quite frank, the moment felt surreal to her with the resources and love she received from FLO. We will be serving her food and groceries during our weekly community outreach and continue to walk this journey with her on her road to self-sufficiency.

Covid-19 has caused a major food insecurity in our communities. We hear about the uncertainty for individuals and families for survival of food over and over again. It breaks our heart to know the situation people are facing each day.

Meet Ms. Drexler, she shared her testimony during our weekly mobile outreach on December 1, 2020. On a cold and windy December night on Wilkens Avenue, she and her family were walking back home with the thoughts of food on their mind.

They wonder where they will get their next meal. Luckily for them, we asked them, if they needed food and they responded back with an emphatic “Yes!”

They were very grateful, Ms. Drexler said the food in her home was very little for them to survive. We provided them with sandwiches, gift bags of food, groceries and masks.

As the saying goes, when it rains it pours that quote had been plaguing Omar’s life since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. In his words, “it seems like something always going wrong for me.”

Meet Omar, an aspiring Chef, lost his job at the restaurant he was working in April, 2020. Lost close friends and family members that has bought him great sadness during this time of uncertainty.

He is a single father of 5. Months ago he got into a domestic dispute with the mother of his children that led him to have custody of his kids. With so much mouths to feed, it is so hard for Omar to cope. He felt he can not get no breaks but he has to stay strong and optimistic for his children.

Late in September things started looking up for him, his mother helped him in obtaining a 3 bedroom house, where he would live with his kids and on Monday, October 5th he finally moved in.

As he received more blessings, more favors bestowed upon him as well. When he moved into the house, his next door neighbor hearing about his story provided mattresses for all his kids. Then on Tuesday, October 6th, Brighter Future Support Services a program, Omar is part of reached out to FLO requesting our assistance to support him with furniture.

Thursday, October 8th, an inspection of his house was conducted.

Saturday, October 10th:
FLO and its volunteers delivered 2 couches, recliner chair, groceries, coffee table, backpacks and school supplies, lamp, toys and much more.

We give a heartfelt thank you to all our donors & sponsors for their generosity for the furniture & supplies giving to Omar.

Omar was so excited and filled with so much gratitude. He couldn’t believe all the furniture were now his. It felt surreal he said, and in addition we have impacted his life by making his house feel like home for his children by making them happy and feeling comfortable.

Omar intends to volunteer for FLO in the future to give back and in addition we will be serving him and his family food, and groceries every Tuesday during our weekly community outreach and continue to walk this journey with him on his road to self-sufficiency.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we introduce you to Ms. Donna. She is a mother of 2 and a grandmother living in West Baltimore.

She was diagnosed with Lupus in 2010. After detection of the disease in 2017, she was told she had a blood clot in her leg but unfortunately for her, her leg had to be amputated. Her life completely changed. She stopped working as a nurse, she became very sick and bills piled up on her.

Battling lupus, being disabled, staying safe and healthy in this Covid-19 age is very critical. Before her son became her care giver, she was fending on her own and things was very difficult. Her couch was spoiled and it created a bad odor in her house.

For over a year, She had been complaining to her family and friends about needing a new living room set because of the stains and odor from her old couch. It was so frustrating for Ms. Donna because she couldn’t afford to buy a new couch or other furniture she needed.

Fortunately for her, her cousin we assisted in October, 2020 told her about FLO’s Furniture Assistance program.

Immediately Ms. Donna called us and an inspection was conducted at her home.

Finally, on Friday, November 27th, FLO and its volunteers delivered a couch, dinning room set, light bulb kit, coffee table, picture art frames, 2 end tables, lamp, China Set cabinet, cleaning supplies, and other household supplies.

Ms. Donna was filled with so much joy and gratitude. We were excited to be creating a dignified setting for her.

Whether we are struggling with the fear and isolation of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic or we are just having one of those weeks where nothing seems to go right, relying on faith can help carry us through. God will make a way where there seems to be no way.

Meet Mr. Ben & his fiance, Ms. Mary. For 2 years they were displaced living in a shelter called Weinberg Housing and Resource Center also known as “Code Blue.” While in the midst of uncertain times, both Mr. Ben & Ms. Mary, started the ground work to get their own place by reaching out to Health Care for the Homeless to assist them with housing.

On Tuesday, November 3, 2020 they finally moved into their new home in South Baltimore.

Upon arrival into their new home, neighbors welcomed them into the neighborhood. Their next door neighbor hearing about their story provided a mattress and other items for them. To get assistance with furniture, Healthcare for the homeless referred them to St. Vincent De Paul Church but due to the number of clients on their waiting list, St. Vincent de Paul referred Mr. Ben & Ms. Mary to FLO.

On Wednesday, November 11th, Mr. Ben reached out to FLO requesting our assistance to support them with furniture. Inspection of their home was conducted the next day.

On Saturday, November 14th, FLO and its volunteers delivered a sofa, chair, bed for the guest room, light bulb kit, coffee table, 2 end tables, rug, cleaning supplies, cat food for their cats, shelf, lamp, dinning room set, China set cabinet, and much more.

Mr. Ben & Ms. Mary were emotionally grateful to FLO and all the donors that made this possible. Mr. Ben mentioned their new couch made him feel like he was home in his native country London, England.

We were excited to assist them with a hand up and providing then with a better quality of life with the furniture we delivered.

We give a heartfelt thank you to all our donors and sponsors for the generosity for the furniture & supplies giving to them. Special thank you to St. Vincent de Paul Church for connecting them to us.

During this time of uncertainty, so many people in our city are going through so much difficulty and they are suffering in silence. Some people are having issues with homelessness, food insecurity, rent or mortgage payments, financial obligations, health crisis, loneliness and so much other issues but here is the thing, we will never know, if they don’t tell us.

Meet Ms. Darla, we met her and her friend at the traffic light on Pennsylvania Avenue around 11pm on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 night during our Mobile Community Outreach. We asked them, if they were hungry and needed any food. They responded saying yes.

An emotional, Ms. Darla was so moved by our kindness began to cry. She said she really needed the food, the supplies and any blessings we can offer her. She said she lost her husband 5 months ago and she has really been going through hard times.

Today and always, we encourage everyone to check up on your neighbors, complete strangers, and people we care about show them some love, encourage them if you can, share blessings if you can. Our city needs hope, this world needs hope. Love Loudly!

Life is filled with uncertainty, especially at times like we are facing now. While many things remain outside our control, our mindset is key to coping with difficult circumstances and facing the unknown.

Uncertainty is all around us, never more so than today. The current COVID-19 pandemic has heightened uncertainty over the economy, employment, finances, relationships, and of course, physical and mental health.

For those of us that are in position to help others, all we can do is provide encouragement and opportunities for those among us that are vulnerable by giving them hope. As the cold of winter draws near, more of our brothers and sisters in need will need support and assistance more than ever before.

Our Testimonial spotlight on Tuesday, October 20th features Mr. Kevin. Over the last several months, we have been serving himself and others on Pennsylvania Avenue. He was so grateful for the food, beverage, mask, hygiene care kits and most of all, the thermal undershirts he received from us. He says, FLO is a blessing and he wants to fortified himself with layers of necessary winter essentials, he can get his hands on to stay warm during the winter.

In life the the best decisions we make are the ones made when we live by faith and not by sight. Even though we might not be able to see where we are going, we keep moving! Martin Luther King Jr., once said, “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Ladies and gentlemen, we introduce Ms. Moore, for 5 years, she was in and out of homelessness. She stayed in different shelters like Karis home and My Sister’s Place Women’s Center. Eventually, she was able to rent a room for a while till in December of 2020, she moved into her own apartment in West Baltimore.

From December till February, Ms. Moore lived in her apartment without no furniture and no bed to sleep on. She reached out to various organizations for assistance with furniture but she was unsuccessful.

On February 15th, she randomly searched organizations in Baltimore that donates free furniture and “FLO” came up. So she decided to call. She explained her situation and an inspection was scheduled to inspect her apartment.

We had the pleasure meeting Ms. Moore, when we inspected her home, she was very excited about opportunity to finally have furniture in her apartment.

On Saturday morning, February 20th:
FLO and its volunteers delivered a bed, dinning room set, dresser, end tables, coffee table, drawer, sofa, chair, TV, entertainment center, utensils, lamp, radio, picture art frames, light bulb kit, bookshelf, rug, cleaning supplies, and much more.

We give a heartfelt thank you to all our donors and sponsors for your great generosity. Your support helps to further our mission in such unfortunate time. Your support is invaluable to us.

Ms. Moore was so grateful, she was filled with emotions and overwhelmed with immense happiness. She cried with tears of joy as our volunteers kept on bringing furniture in and out of her apartment.

We were excited to be creating a dignified setting for her with the furniture we provided and enabling her to become established and achieve stability in her new apartment.

Our testimonial feature from March 10, 2020, we introduce Mr. Chris. We have been serving him for couple years now. There have been many times we’ve found Mr. Chris, digging into trash cans searching for food. He says FLO has saved his life and we give him hope to overcome his hardship. In addition, Mr. Chris, wishes everyday was an outreach day, so he can get fed by FLO.

He says he prefers staying in Helping Up Mission for shelter but a lot of the time he does not have the $3 to get into the shelter.

We ran into Mr. Chris on Monument Street. He had his back turned away from us walking on the opposite side of the street, when we tracked him down. As we yelled his name out loud, he turned around, saw it was us and he was so excited. He ran as fast as he could to meet us on a one way street.

On his testimony, he didn’t hide his feelings, what FLO means to him and how it has impacted his life.

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