An abundance of donated jackets, shoes, food and Narcan showcased the efforts of a community that cares.
Laid out across tables and taking up space on the floor outside the Leesburg Resource Center on Jan. 29, donated items were part of a free giveaway for unhoused individuals during this year’s Lake County Point-in-Time Count, sponsored by local nonprofit Mid Florida Homeless Coalition.
Linda Mobley, a Leesburg resident and Mid Florida Homeless Coalition board member, decided to make this year’s count about more than numbers.
“I wanted to take this to another level and do more than go out in the woods to do the assessment. I wanted to show love and affection. I have the heart to be a greater server in 2026,” said the founder and director House of Hope Inc., an organization that provides education, housing and support to those affected by HIV and AIDS.
“I was raised on a farm with nine other children and one thing that we were all taught at a very young age is to be servants,” Mobley said. “My parents taught us to have faith, character, good work ethic, honor and respect. I’m 75 years old and that’s still important to me. It’s become my passion and is my calling from God to serve. This is the seed my parents planted, because it started with them.”
While welcoming partnering organizations and people who came to participate, Mobley said the event marked “a very important day for Lake County.”
“We are excited to be here to serve our great community, offering services for people to take advantage of,” Mobley said. “We are here as a pillar to push you where you need to go.”
The Rev. Brenda Lammie, associate minister of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Leesburg, said seven members of the church’s mission ministry helped out during the event, with most manning sign-in tables.
“We look for opportunities to serve in the community,” Lammie said. “For me, I believe all human beings have the right to safe and stable housing. Too many people — individuals, families, veterans — are on the street because they can’t afford housing and we need to do all we can to help them.”
Turning a local part of a nationwide initiative into a day of community service, Mobley expanded the impact by organizing free giveaways, including a hot meal and a shower for local unhoused individuals.
Pastries and baked goods were donated by Publix Super Market at Grand Traverse Plaza; hot food was provided by Chef Tony Vicks and Lindo’s Catering and Events; free boxes of Narcan, the life-saving nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses, were provided by the Department of Health in Lake County; mobile showers were stationed by SALT Outreach; and free grocery items were put out by Project Noelle.
Other organizations at the event gave information on ways to take advantage of local services, including ways to find employment or get job training through CareerSource Central Florida.
Marisa Benson works as a disabled veteran outreach program specialist with CareerSource Central Florida at Lake-Sumter State College.
“People who want to grow, we can help them no matter their circumstance,” Benson said. “Just because someone is homeless doesn’t mean that they don’t have skills. Typically, they don’t have the voice to speak up about what they can or can’t do. We connect employers to skilled, qualified employees. It’s a win-win.”
Mary Tucker, vice president of the West Leesburg Community Development Corporation, gave out information on ways to apply for Medicare or Medicaid through United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties.
“My goal is to make it easier for those who need access to these services,” Tucker said. “I’m making myself available to be a resource.”
Providing a count of sheltered and unsheltered individuals on a single night, usually in January, the P.I.T. count is part of a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requirement for local homelessness prevention and housing coordination networks called Continuums of Care. The count is used to collect data on homeless populations and secure federal funding for programs to help them.
Linette Torres, Lake County Housing and Community Services representative, coordinated canvasing for the Lake County P.i.T count, which asked individuals where they stayed on the night of Jan. 26.
Volunteers with various organizations including LifePointe Church in Eustis, The Benevolence Center in Leesburg and The Salvation Army of Lake & Sumter Counties gathered information for the P.I.T. count by surveying the woods and vacant lots throughout the county. Sign-ins also were collected at the Jan. 29 event.
Barbara Venditto, Mid Florida Homeless Coalition executive director, said this year’s efforts led by Torres and Mobley provided a unique two-prong approach to conducting the count.
“I am so proud and impressed,” Venditto said. “The challenge we face is always locating people. It always depends on the weather, whether it’s cold, hot or rainy, where people go. What Linette and Linda did beautifully was coordinate teams for canvasing and give people a place to warm up and get food. We are hoping this year is a more accurate count.”
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
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