CLERMONT, Fla. — Hands of Hope America founder and chief executive officer Evelisse Bookhout’s history as an at-risk youth led her to start the nonprofit in the Four Corners community to fill the critical needs of residents.

She created Hands of Hope America in 2019 after discovering gaps in needs like childcare, education and food security in the Four Corners area.

The nonprofit started with a food pantry and has grown to provide wraparound services like free mental health counseling, after-school tutoring and adult English classes in Lake, Polk, Osceola and Orange counties.

Now the organization serves thousands of families from its centralized location in Clermont, seeking to empower low-income families.

She said her heart is with the children.

“Being the example out in the community, being able to advocate for what we believe our community needs,” Bookhout said.

Hands of Hopes’ needs assessment, which will be released this month, showed there is a lack of collaborative funding and efforts across county lines, leaving many residents without critical services, Bookhout said. 

Pressing concerns across all four counties include major gaps in housing, food security, healthcare, employment services, education and transportation, the assessment revealed.

She and her team of interns discovered public transportation times are limited, and they don’t connect from one county to another. 

“Right now, we are calling for collaborative partners to be able to work together to continue to serve the need here in this community,” Bookhout said.

A centralized community center to link families with an after-school program and bigger space for kids also is needed, she said.

Right now, children play in the building’s parking lot. 

“There isn’t much for the kids to do, so we have a lot of violence and drug use within our youth in our community, and I think it’s because parents need to work. They have to provide, and so parents are not around when kids get home from school,” said Rose Sterling, a case manager at the nonprofit.

Sterling learned about Hands of Hope’s services through one of its food distribution events.

“We have three boys, and kids weren’t really playing outside. My son is on the autism spectrum, and he was really struggling mentally,” Sterling said. “He needed friends.”

She brought her son to one of the nonprofit’s summer programs, and he immediately started building leadership skills and making friends. 

“Being able to give back to not only the community, but the place that gave me so much hope,” Sterling said.

Next steps for Bookhout and the organization include more advocacy for those who need a hand.

Bookhout, who didn’t have a lot of as she was raised by a single mom, said the community’s needs fuel her work.

“Those experiences have truly shaped my passion for serving the community, and it’s something I’ll continue to do as long as I can,” Bookhout said.

To help meet those needs, Bookhout said a unified vision, clear communication and resource sharing is required. She said she and the organization will work to bring together county governments, nonprofits and leaders to meet the needs of the growing population.