We are beyond grateful to an incredible organization called 100 Shares Tampa Bay, who awarded us a $50,000 grant to Help Families Start Over. We were selected after a rigorous screening and application process which involved multiple presentations and interviews. We are so thankful for this incredible group of godly women who love the Lord and prayerfully and intentionally support gospel-centered nonprofits in the Tampa Bay area. They practice Joyful Giving and are a true blessing! Thank You 100 Shares Tampa Bay!

We want to extend a special thanks to Mindy Miller, who spent countless hours working on the grant application, and to Stephanie and Jeremy Haile, John Williams, April McCulloughs, and Barb Dawes who presented to the awards committee. We would also like to thank additional Board Members Randy Strutz, Chris Dawes, Christy Dinan and Ann Morrick for attending in support of the ministry.

100 Shares Tampa Bay (100STB) was founded in early 2014 by a small group of women with a big vision. It was a vision of uniting women to be able to give a significant contribution each year to a viable Christian ministry in the greater Tampa Bay area. Their mission statement is "Women joyfully giving in partnership to elevate Christian ministries that proclaim the gospel in Tampa Bay."

Faithful Volunteer Greg Stark shared this about his most recent delivery:

I’ve been asked what I love most about serving at New Life Warehouse and I’ve said it a lot… delivering beds to families who have nothing.

Over the years, hundreds of beds. And every time, it hits the same. The look on a kid’s face. The tears in a parent’s eyes. It never gets old.

But today, it wasn’t a bed. We delivered a couch to a pregnant, single mom with three young kids. As we brought it in, the kids started yelling, “Mom! It’s a couch! We got a couch!” They were smiling, laughing, even helping carry the cushions inside like it was the greatest thing in the world. And honestly…it was.

I’ve heard people ask, “Why don’t we see miracles anymore?” I always say the same thing…come serve, they’re happening all around us!

Thank you to everyone who visited us during our Open House. We truly enjoyed meeting so many new people and sharing stories about our mission and ministry. We are especially grateful to Michael and Jeanette Sosa from Westchase Chiropractic and Wellness, and to RNR Tires and Anderson Group for helping sponsor the event.

We have many volunteer opportunities during the week and on the weekends. We especially need help Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings as we sort, organize, repair and clean donations. If you can organize toys, or help us wash and sort sheets, or put together dish sets for families, come on down! You can just show up at the warehouse at 9am on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and we'll get you assigned to a job.

We also make deliveries during the week, so if you would like to serve in that way, please reach out to barb@newlifewarehouse.org and I'll connect you with our weekday delivery team.

Kelly and Gary King and Lora and Paul Hart are our Early Crew on Saturday mornings. They're always the first team to arrive at the warehouse bright and early at 7:30am, and they're loaded and on their way before the rest of us are even done even done setting up! Kelly shared this sweet picture about a recent delivery, along with these thoughts:

"She might’ve been the sweetest lady we’ve ever served. A lovely woman from Thailand. She said she had been sleeping on a bus stop and park benches for two years. She was so thankful. She said she “prayed to God to please take care of me, and He did!"

Demetrie Kakalis, Luis Acosta and Ric Palles are fixtures at the warehouse. They are faithful volunteers who come every week to literally help do the heavy lifting. This week was an especially busy week as we received a large donation from a hotel, as well as donations from the University of Tampa. Demetrie, Luis and Ric were phenomenal, going above and beyond to pick up the furniture from the hotel, and then driving over to UT in the evening to load up the truck with even more donations! Loading is only half the battle, because then everything has to be unloaded and placed in the warehouse. It is just plain hard work!

Not only do they help in the warehouse, but they also regularly make deliveries to families. Demetrie will mow the grass at the warehouse just because he sees that it needs to be done.

Demetrie, Luis and Ric, we are truly grateful for all of the countless hours you serve at the warehouse. You are a huge part of our ministry and NLW family and we can't thank you enough.

May Volunteer Dates:

Sorting Tuesdays - 9am-12pm:

May 5, 12, 19 and 26

Sorting Wednesdays - 9am-12pm:

May 6, 13, 20 and 27

Staging Fridays - 9am-2pm

May 8th and 29th

Delivery Saturdays - 8am-12pm

May 9th and 30th

WE ARE NOT DELIVERING MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

WE WILL DELIVER THE 5th SATURDAY INSTEAD - MAY 30th