A Heart To Give has one mission: Help local families get the resources they need.
Founder Terrie Scott’s passion for helping families stems from growing up with seven siblings.
“My Mom worked. My Dad worked two jobs. They were always working, but we could never make ends meet. We were always that family— like the families that we serve here at A Heart to Give—that needed assistance,” Scott says. “There were Christmases that if we didn’t have any organizations or people helping us, we would have gone without.”
Scott dreamed of being able to help families in similar situations. In 2019, Scott got her chance and founded A Heart to Give.
A Heart to Give helps any family that needs assistance, such as single mothers, families living in hotels or cars, and those seeking safety from domestic violence.
She started by helping families in need, especially moms, get baby supplies like diapers, formula, clothes, toys and equipment. As word got out, people came to Scott with specific families who needed help. Scott met those needs whenever possible, providing school supplies, personal hygiene products, clothing and food.
Scott, a local mother of six, has a heart for families in Ocoee, Winter Garden and Windermere. Scott has built relationships with many local schools, who contact her for assistance when they find a family in need.
“About 97% of our clients are from local schools,” Scott says. “If there’s something where someone’s borderline homeless, the counselor says, ‘Hey Terrie, I have this family, they’re getting evicted. They’re about to be in their car. What resources do you have?’”
Scott helps provide the items the family may need or works with other organizations to provide resources.
“Very seldom is there a time where A Heart to Give can’t help someone. But we’re not a huge nonprofit, and I run it out of my home. We’re limited on space, so if someone needs furniture or something, I call out to the community because I don’t have the space to store furniture 24/7,” Scott says.
Scott also organizes school supply drives, Thanksgiving meal baskets and holiday gift sponsorships. In 2023, A Heat to Give provided Christmas presents for 1,000 children in West Orange County.
Another large event Scott hosts each March and April is an online baby shower and diaper drive. The goal is for the organization to have various baby items on hand so families don’t need to wait for assistance.
This year, Scott seeks to start a grocery fundraiser for the summer months when parents may be working and children are home. The fund would set aside money for Scott to make grocery runs for needy families.
“I’ll have the funds available so I don’t have to say no. Because I know how it is to be hungry in the summer,” Scott says.
A Heart to Give helps families throughout West Orange County and Central Florida. She says one of the best ways to support her organization is to share her posts on social media to get the word out about immediate needs in the community.
“I don’t think people realize the impact just sharing a post can have on that small business or organization,” says Scott.
A Heart to Give helps families rise out of their circumstances and make a fresh start. Scott says one of the most fulfilling things she’s witnessed is when a mom who signed up to receive assistance from the holiday toy drive one year returned the following year to sponsor a family.
“My goal is to bring hope to families that are in these dire situations,” says Scott. “They don’t want to be in these situations. But if I could just bring hope to one person, one family, one mom, then I’ve done my job.”
AHeartToGive.org | @AHeart2Give | Terriescott8092@gmail.com | 409-365-3556
“My Mom worked. My Dad worked two jobs. They were always working. We could never make ends meet."