Stretching Their Dollars
by Jeannine Gage
Harvest Time International (HTI) is a Sanford-based, nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides a hand up to children and families in need. From its expansive facilities off State Road 46, Harvest Time disperses free and low-cost food and other necessities to those who need help and hope the most, both locally and around the world.
One of the organization’s newest initiatives is its Nonprofit Supply Center, a bright and welcoming space where other Central Florida nonprofits – including churches, shelters, and soup kitchens – can stock up on essential goods for their clients at deep discounts. Available items include food, clothing, hygiene items, and small appliances.
“We wanted to have something for the smaller local nonprofits,” says Andre Smolinsky, COO of Harvest Time. “Here, they can come and shop just for the goods [and quantities] they need.”
Prices at HTI’s Supply Center average 75 percent lower than retail, and everything is donated directly from the manufacturers. The products on the shelves, such as canned goods, snacks, candy, coffee, and over-the-counter medications, may have been overstocked or discontinued, or their branding may have changed. Some of the items, including bread, are free. And none of the perishable goods, such as food or medications, are expired.
There is one hard and fast rule: agencies that shop there cannot resell the items they buy; those items are for donation only. The idea is to help smaller nonprofits stretch their budgets by selling them the goods they need at greatly reduced prices, which allows them to assist even more people in need.
Making a Greater Impact
E.S.T.H.E.R. Single Mothers Outreach, a nonprofit agency based in Longwood, benefits from all that HTI offers – including its new Nonprofit Supply Center. E.S.T.H.E.R. offers its moms a myriad of items and services, such as clothing, food, housewares, parenting classes, and connection to other community aid organizations.
Marci Wild, founder/director of E.S.T.H.E.R., shopped at the Supply Center recently and says she wouldn’t be able to offer her clients so much without the support of Harvest Time International.
“It helps us to get the supplies we need to continue to run the organization while saving money,” says Marci. “It’s truly a blessing. The savings are really off the charts. And they offer so many things that aren’t covered by food stamps, so it’s such a help for our moms.”
To shop at HTI’s Nonprofit Supply Center, agencies must fill out an application, provide documentation of their financial and nonprofit status, and go through an interview process.
“We just want to help people in every way we can,” says Andre. “We are always searching for new ways to provide help and support to those who need it.”
Harvest Time was founded in 1991 by Virginia residents John and Mary Murphy. They started their ministry in Apopka with a 2,000-square-foot food pantry and in 1997 moved their operations to Sanford, where HTI has continued to grow exponentially.
“I give credit to God and to our honest, wonderful, faithful staff and volunteers for our success,” says Mary. “There are a lot of needy people out there and always will be, and we’re here to help them.”
The Nonprofit Supply Center was a dream of John’s, who passed away last year. John knew that smaller nonprofits need as much support as possible to serve their clients, so he worked diligently to get the initiative up and running.
“John always said, ‘Anything you do you should do with excellence,’” says Andre. “So, we made sure to do this just like he would have done it.”
To learn more about Harvest Time International and the services it provides, visit HarvestTime.org.