Stories of Hope: Food Brings Hope and TeenZone are a 'blessing' for Volusia family

When Tropical Storm Ian hit Volusia County in late September, Catrina McMillan and her 12-year-old son, Christian Hooks, weren’t sure where to turn.

“My house flooded. It had water damage, so they condemned it and said it was uninhabitable, so we had to move and then, of course, my car flooded,” McMillan said Monday.

It was something she’d never been through since moving to South Daytona in 2015 — and something no one had told her how to navigate.

“They didn't really help us,” she said of the officials who condemned the home she was renting. “They just told me we had to move.”

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After hearing about the family’s situation, McMillan received a call from Food Brings Hope, a nonprofit founded by Forough Hosseini that sponsors several Volusia and Flagler programs dedicated to helping families and children experiencing hardships.

The organization brought her a package with household supplies and about a week’s worth of food, and it also connected her to resources like the Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and VCan, a Food Brings Hope initiative founded to help children who need food and shelter.

McMillan says the resources were “a blessing” in a time when the family was trying to save what they could from their home, pack up their belongings and figure out the next steps while she continued to work and Christian continued to go to school.

With the help of Food Brings Hope and other resources, McMillan was able to navigate the process of getting a new car and getting into the family’s new apartment in Port Orange, where they have lived for about a month.

McMillan said that while they’re still rebounding, especially with everyday purchases being so expensive, they’ve been fortunate and will continue to take it one step at a time.

Food Brings Hope continues to check in on the family to make sure they’re doing OK, and Christian, a seventh-grader at Campbell Middle School in Daytona Beach, continues to participate in TeenZone, another program sponsored by the nonprofit.

TeenZone offers tutoring, meals, field trips and more

Christian has participated in TeenZone since last year as a sixth-grader and previously attended KidsZone at Turie T. Small Elementary in Daytona Beach. The programs, which exist in a couple dozen Volusia schools and a few Flagler schools, provide a place for kids to go before and after school each day.

Students participate in tutoring, field trips and other activities like sports and arts, and they also receive nourishing meals and snacks at no cost to families.

“We were really excited to hear that they had it at Campbell,” McMillan said. “It made me feel more comfortable because I know they're awesome and they love the kids.”

Christian said he gets time to finish his homework for all of his subjects, including his favorite, math, and other areas he's working on.

“They’re very good people, because one thing I like is that they can help me with my reading because I'm not that good in reading," he said. "But since then they have helped me and I have improved, so I’m very thankful to them helping."

McMillan says the tutors and extra study time have helped his grades, too.

“I get to spend more time with my friends,” Christian said of his favorite reasons to attend TeenZone.

McMillan noted that the program offers good socialization opportunities for Christian, especially after the pandemic.

“They went from going to school every day to not, so I think that's a big thing. He likes being able to socialize,” she said. “He has learned to be more confident, learning to speak up more for himself and being an advocate for himself.”

The kids recently went to a basketball game at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where they got high fives from the cheerleaders and ate popcorn, he said.

There are more trips planned in the future, which are intended to provide opportunities and enrichment that the children otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience.

TeenZone also incorporates nutrition classes for kids and families, which included recipe cards and tips on low-cost, nutritious foods, McMillan said.

She says the program also helps financially by providing the extra meals — especially when the kids are at the age where they're growing and “hungry all the time” — and by giving Christian somewhere to stay while she works all day for a health insurance company.

“Most people don't get off until 5, 5:30, 6, so it is a big help,” she said. “Most kids wouldn't have anywhere to go. Then you’d have to leave work or try to find someone to pick them up, so that part is a real blessing for us.”

'It’s day by day for us, but we're here'

Ericka Burnam-Hoyt, the sponsor of TeenZone at Campbell Middle School, said they wouldn’t be able to help families with the much-needed resources for free without the support of Food Brings Hope.

“It’s all about the resources that our families get,” she said. “The school funds can’t purchase food. Grant funds can’t purchase food. We can’t go on trips and give students experiences they’ve not had before with school funds, with grant money, but Food Brings Hope is that bridge for us and that gives us that money that we need to expose our students to things outside of their community that they would never be able to do without these funds.”

In addition to being thankful for Food Brings Hope and TeenZone, Christian says his mom deserves credit for helping them through the process of losing their car and having to evacuate their home.

“We’re on track to get back soon. It’s day by day for us, but we're here," McMillan said. “We're blessed.”

As the holidays approach, Christian says his Christmas list will include his own laptop, a virtual reality headset, a gaming chair and "Robux” currency to use online in the game Roblox.

“And me and my mom both like football, so I would want a bigger TV downstairs,” he added.

Despite all the family has been through, McMillan had a short list. She confirmed a new TV would be nice to replace their current screen of 20 inches or so, as well as a new air fryer.

Beyond that, she only wishes for a new bed for her son.

“It’s been through some things,” she said with a laugh.

About this series: The FBH Community’s mission is to foster community organizations that proactively work to eradicate the causes of generational poverty. Programs such as Food Brings Hope, VCan, KidsZone, TeenZone, Pierson Family Literacy, Homes Bring Hope and the FBH Prosperity Initiative help hardworking families struggling with hunger, housing insecurity, underemployment and low levels of literacy. Overhead is covered by the Hosseini Family Foundation, so 100% of donations go directly to the programs and families. Throughout the holidays, The News-Journal is highlighting the organization by publishing the stories of some of its young participants. To donate to the organization, or to brighten the holidays by donating a gift to a child, email info@foodbringshope.org.

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: South Daytona hurricane evacuees find new home thanks to nonprofit