One Year In: Why We Started Hope & Hunger

One year ago, on October 1, 2025, Hope & Hunger Foundation officially opened its doors.

We started with a simple idea. If we’re going to give back to the community that has given so much to us, we want to do it thoughtfully, get involved and help create lasting change.

The project that showed us the way

One of our first opportunities to live that out came through Manatee Children’s Services.

We didn’t want to fund from a distance. We wanted to understand what they needed to serve children and families better, and then help make it happen.

Our support has helped upgrade their group homes and provide two transportation vans. It also expanded the campus with a new facility for Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), where more families can get the help they need to build stronger relationships with their children.

That project showed what we hoped Hope & Hunger could be: a partner, not just a source of funding.

Where we focus

We support nonprofits across Manatee and Sarasota counties working in eight cause areas:

Child welfare and family support — standing with vulnerable children and the families keeping them safe
Domestic violence and safety — safety and a fresh start for survivors and their children
Faith and missions — giving rooted in faith, service offered in love
Homelessness and housing — safe, stable places to sleep, and the support to stay housed
Recovery and reentry — walking with neighbors rebuilding life after incarceration
Poverty and food insecurity — food, and a path toward stability, for families facing hardship
Substance abuse and recovery — support for the hard, personal work of recovery from addiction
Youth development — mentorship, opportunity and a fair start for young people

Being a Financial Partner

We believe philanthropy should be about more than moving money from one place to another.

The nonprofits doing this work know our community. They know where the needs are, what’s working and where the gaps are. Our job is to listen, understand those needs and figure out where we can be most useful.

Sometimes that means funding a major project. Sometimes it means helping an organization think through a budget, a growth plan or a new facility. Sometimes it means steady support so a good organization can keep doing important work. And sometimes it simply means showing up.

In our first year, that approach led to more than $4 million in grants across more than 300 grants and commitments.

Behind every number is a person:

A young adult looking for a safe place to live
A parent working to rebuild a relationship with a child
A family wondering where their next meal is coming from
A neighbor in recovery putting their life back together
A survivor looking for a safe way forward

That’s why we started Hope & Hunger.

Year one by the numbers

$4M+ in grants
300+ grants and commitments
40+ nonprofit partners

Those numbers tell part of the story. The better part is what they made possible.

In our next post, we’ll share some of the organizations and projects we’ve been privileged to support, and the people they serve. Then we’ll take an honest look at what worked and what didn’t. Finally, we’ll share where we’re headed in year two.

One year down. A lot of work ahead.