Our programs are aimed at two segments of the ‘invisible’ population - young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and people who have multiple social and economic problems who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

We don't believe in hand outs. That's why participants in our formal assistance programs must attend classes, create a household budget, and submit an application to receive food baskets, gifts, and other items.  The great news is that most of our clients participate in the holiday assistance program only twice. By the third year, most have acquired the skills needed to appropriately budget for the holidays.

With your generosity, we can continue to help change the lives of our fellow community members, which ultimately benefits us all.  And, remember, your donations directly benefit the people we work with, so please be generous and help us continue the work we do in the community.

Financial Donations are tax-deductible and used wisely to support our ongoing programs, services, and overheads. 

Your support has a huge impact on our success as a local, grass-roots non-profit.

Think about this:

• Size doesn’t matter!  Your gift of any amount can make a substantial difference.
• You can be the difference!  Your gift could determine whether a single dad and his 3 children have to sleep in a car, a mother has to decide between medicine or meat when shopping for her family this week, or a young mother can keep her baby.
• We are greater together!  The Sarasota community contributes as individuals, but makes progress as a whole. 

Regular, personal donations help us tremendously in planning and budgeting so we urge you to consider setting up with your bank a direct pay donation to be sent monthly to SCLO. It’s also worth investigating if your employer has a gift matching program which would double the effect of your contribution.  Thousands of companies do. Just check with the Human Resources office of your employer for eligibility requirements and to obtain a Matching Gift Form.

CONSIDER:

• Supporting our annual fundraising luncheon.  Tickets are only $50 and there are various opportunities for underwriting and sponsorship that will show you care about people in our community, bring visibility to you and/or your company or organization, and help to make the event as effective as possible.
   
• Setting Up a Regular Donation directly from your bank as that is a tremendous help to our planning and budgeting.
   
• Sponsoring one of our client events such as the Community Art Show, Caring and Sharing Week, or Graduation.
   
• Organizing a Food Drive at your office, school, faith-based organization, club, neighborhood, etc. We have a weekly food distribution and donations of food such as canned tuna/chicken, soups, canned fruit/vegetables, rice, cans of beans/pork and beans/Vienna sausages, canned hams, peanut butter, Hormel-type prepared meals, spaghetti, etc. would help augment what we can give. We have four drop off locations or we can arrange a collection.
   
• Sponsoring a youth to attend our Life Management Skills Seminar ($120).  The time spent in a structured, creative, and educational environment can truly make the difference in a vulnerable young person’s life.
   
• Honoring a loved one’s birthday or memory by making a contribution in the name of a relative or friend.
   
• Giving Gifts of Appreciated Securities: ask us for details on how this benefits both donor and SCLO.
   
• Sourcing items to be used for our Silent Auction / Raffle.  We are in need of silent auction items to boost the fundraising at our Annual Luncheon in September.  If you own a local business or restaurant, please consider donating an item, gift certificate, or service.  It’s a great way to promote your business while helping us to help others to help themselves.
   
• Donating to the Building Campaign - We’re asking supporters to help us meet the goal of $50,000 set by a group of donors who are challenging other contributors to match their generosity.
   
• Volunteering. There are many different volunteer opportunities available to suit your availability and interests.
   
• Ordering flowers through Beneva Flowers next time you have a reason for sending a bouquet, arrangement or gift.  SCLO is a partner in their Beneva Flowers Helping Hands Program which means that if you mention our name (or the code Y28) when purchasing your flowers, we earn 5% of your total order. 
   
  
• Purchasing your Target, Best Buy, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. items online via GoodSearch.org to earn Second Chance-Last Opportunity 3-20% of what you spend.
  
  

SCLO is always looking for individuals and groups to help us improve the lives of at-risk teens, families, and individuals.  Your time is valuable and there are many ways you can help; whether on an ad hoc basis at one of our special community events or in an ongoing capacity on a committee or in the office, we have volunteer programs to fit your schedule.

We are particularly looking for people to help with:

Assistance at Clients’ Events, Fundraising Events Committee, Farmers’ Market Booth, Mentoring, Leading Workshops, Marketing, Donor Liaison, Building Campaign, Newsletter etc. 

If none of these roles match your special skills, experience or interest, give us a call to let us know how you would like to get involved.  We’d love to have you on board!

You’ll find representatives of SCLO at the Downtown Farmers’ Market on the 2nd Saturday of every month between September and May raising awareness and funds.  Come see us on Lemon Avenue between Main Street and State Street, between 7am and 12 noon where you can receive a Purple Bag of Wishes.  Just fill it with items from our wishlist (such as used clothing, baby items for teen moms, personal hygiene items for the homeless) and return it to us at the market the following month or at our office.  You can also just stop by to say hi, meet our volunteers and find out what our current project is.