My name is Ekara Nichols and I live in the 32114 community with my children: my 16-year-old daughter, Kimora, who attends Spruce Creek High School; my 13-year-old son, Kaleb, who attends Campbell Middle School; and my younger son, Kedrick Jr.
Recently, our home was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton. Everything inside was ruined. It’s all gone. But we’re here. We are alive and we know we will be OK. There’s hope, and with hope, we can move forward.
I first learned about the Food Brings Hope school programs when my children attended Turie T. Small Elementary. In middle school, my daughter participated in Campbell Middle’s TeenZone program. We received bi-weekly food bags, and both of my children attended after-school tutoring. The transition of programs is something I find very important.
Unfortunately, Spruce Creek High School doesn’t offer the Food Brings Hope’s TeenZone program, so my daughter no longer has access to the services she once enjoyed. There is a definite need for such programs at other schools.
I’m now enrolled in the FBH Community’s Florida Blue Healthy Initiative Program, Drop the Box, and the VCan Monthly Community Food Distributions. The Florida Blue Healthy Events have provided me with valuable knowledge to improve my health and given me an opportunity to socialize with my community. I appreciate the speakers and the Halifax Health physicians who are there to answer questions, check my A1C, blood pressure and more. I always take the health screening card to my cardiologist.
The food and vegetable boxes are a huge help, and I really enjoyed the cooking demonstration with SauteĢ Kingz and the exercise sessions with Commissioner (Quanita) May. The food boxes are especially beneficial, providing us with fresh fruit and vegetables, which is something I truly appreciate. I also attend the monthly community food distributions, which offer quality items that other food drives often don’t.
My family celebrates Kwanzaa and Christmas. Now that my kids are older, their wish lists have grown. Their number one requests are laptops. My daughter, Kimora, is dual-enrolled at Daytona State College, so a laptop is essential for her to take online classes. It would also help my son, Kedrick Jr., with his after-school projects and assignments. He also wishes for acrylic paint markers, a mechanical pencil set, medium socks, shirts and pants, size large. Kaleb hopes to receive a Nike Elite bookbag and a laptop, which he would use for emails and his school/work assignments.
Our family is in desperate need of appliances and furniture since they were all ruined when our home flooded. We need a washer/dryer, deep freezer, and living room furniture. I’ve tried to repair my appliances but was told that everything is beyond repair.
I am truly grateful to the FBH Community for their continued support. This amazing group is truly making a difference for my family. The beauty of FBHC is that everyone plays a role in positively impacting the lives of those they serve.
