The Lake Worth community has come together to support a nonprofit, helping the founder, Patrick Livingston, make incredible progress with his vision for Arms of Hope.
Livingston will be the first to tell anyone that cooking in the soup kitchen last summer was brutal. There was no air conditioning. The dining area was uncomfortable for guests, too, but now things are much different.
“It’s a huge difference, a huge difference. Night and day from when we sat here last year,” Livingston said.
There’s a brand new air conditioning system, courtesy of John Westbrook and the Cool team, renovated bathrooms installed by C2 Construction, a new roof thanks to American Roofing and hurricane impact windows, donated by PGT WinGuard and installed for free by T.J. Davis Windows. The upgrades and renovations were all made possible by these generous local business owners.
“It was just a freak thing that I talked to Patrick and I said, ‘let me see if we can get’em to donate,'” T.J. Davis, owner of T.J. Davis windows, said.
Frankie Quarles, a third-generation roofer and president of American Roofing, donated not one, but two new roofs, one for the soup kitchen and the other for the building next door, which will be used as a future community center.
“Patrick is as excited about doing work as I am. Excited to give God be all the glory and that’s the main thing that goes on in this whole operation that’s here,” Quarles said.
Arms of Hope is known for feeding hungry stomachs and human spirits, but Livingston has bigger plans.
“Feeding the folks is good, but educating them is our goal,” Livingston said.
“We have a plan and we have a momentum going forward to convert this into a well-functioning community center,” Cheddi Johnson, owner of C2 Development said.
Johnson is the volunteer project manager, overseeing renovations of the adjacent building and organizing other volunteers to help Livingston’s dream become a reality.
“It’s a year later and I’m still thanking them,” Livingston said.
There is still a lot of work left to do. For people interested in volunteering or donating supplies.
The Quantum Foundation also provides financial grants to help fund nonprofits like Arms of Hope. To donate money visit.
