Six years ago, I was homeless. I was exhausted. I was unsure if life was ever going to turn around. What I did have was a community that refused to let me disappear. People showed up. They helped me survive. And together, we learned something important.

Mutual aid works when people refuse to look away.

That lesson never left me.

In 2024, we opened the doors to a small drop in space in Downtown Sanford. One room. A hot pot of coffee. A table with snacks. A microwave. A place to breathe. A place to cool down or warm up. A place where people who had been treated like ghosts could walk in and be seen again.

That space changed lives. Including mine.

Over the past year, we have watched people reclaim pieces of themselves. We have watched people fight for sobriety. We have watched people show up for each other when no one else would. We have shared laughter, grief, hard conversations, and quiet mornings where the only thing keeping someone going was knowing they had somewhere to land.

We have had wins. We have had losses. And we have had a front row seat to the reality that real change does not come from slogans or policy statements alone. It comes from people taking care of people.

That is what Safe Grounds Sanford is.

This fundraiser is for everything that work requires in 2026.

It is for day to day operations. Coffee, food, supplies, utilities, basic survival needs.

It is for first and last month rent when someone finally has a chance to move inside. It is for security deposits and application fees that stand between a person and a front door.

It is for bus tickets to job interviews, doctor appointments, and family reunification. It is for medications, replacing lost IDs, and removing the bureaucratic barriers that keep people stuck.

It is for Ground Score, our cleanup crew that creates paid, dignified side work for people who want to earn while rebuilding their lives.

It is for the things we cannot always predict but know will come up, because life on the margins does not follow a schedule.

We are mutual aid. We help. We do not interrogate people in crisis. We do not demand perfection. We meet people where they are, with accountability, respect, and humanity. There are a few boundaries for safety and sustainability, but the mission is simple.

If someone needs help and we can help, we will.

Our goal in 2026 is to secure full 501 c 3 status and strengthen this work so it lasts. We want structure without losing soul. We want sustainability without losing urgency. We want to expand from a drop in space into a connected network of housing support, employment opportunities, and real stability.

We already know who this work is for. The people who show up. The people doing the work. The people who just need one or two missing pieces to change everything.

They are not asking for handouts. They are asking for a fighting chance.

This fundraiser is not about a single moment or a single season. It is about committing to an entire year of showing up for people that society routinely abandons.

If you have ever believed in second chances. If you have ever been helped when you were down. If you believe dignity is a right and not a reward. Then you already understand the heart of this work.

As of January 1, 2026, we are still here. Still showing up. Still refusing to look away.

If you are able to donate, thank you. If you can share this, thank you. If all you can do is bear witness and care, that matters too.

This is how communities survive.

This is Safe Grounds Sanford.