Central Florida organizations continue work to help those recovering from hurricane impacts

EATONVILLE, Fla. — It’s been six months since Hurricane Ian devastated parts of Florida, and some families in our community are still struggling to recover.

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Channel 9 reporter Q McCray looked into how local organizations are stepping in to help.

When life deals you a bad hand sometimes you just have to let your emotions flow.

“It was really scary for us, and then all of our stuff got flooded,” said Shania Chambers.

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Chambers and her mother Belinda Wards are Hurricane Ian victims.

It’s been six months, and they are still dealing with the harsh reality of life after the storm.

“It was just a whole big mess,” Chambers said. “Water ended up turning into mold, and then it was a whole other story.”

They got some great news this week.

See: Boats wrecked by Ian, Nicole being removed from Brevard County

We caught up with them at The Mustard Seed of Central Florida picking out furniture for their home.

“It is exactly what we do. We help people when they are starting all over again,” said Kathy Baldwin, executive director of The Mustard Seed of Central Florida.

The Mustard Seed has been around for 35 years, providing families in need with everything from furniture, appliances and even clothing.

Heart of Florida United Way heard about the need and stepped up to provide a $45,000 grant to help victims shop.

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“The hurricane of last year really put people out of stability,” said Ashley Blasewitz with Heart of Florida United Way.

Ward and Chambers are proof of that.

Though the items they pick are free, The Mustard Seed usually charges an administrative and delivery fee.

The grant money is taking care of that for this duo.

So, they will be leaving with a truck full of items at absolutely no cost to them.

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