Now, the non-profit organization has more than 200 volunteers who serve 450 low-income families a year with beds, furniture, dishware, and décor. Most of all, they give families hope for the future.

“We pray over our families, and we give them hope. We tell them that God cares about them, and we care about them and that they are not alone here in Hillsborough County,” said Pam Stamey, president and founder, Home Makers of Hope.

With over 100 families on their waiting list, Home Makers of Hope needed a way to increase efficiency and enhance productivity. They discovered a software program that would modernize their operations, save time, and increase opportunities for more grants.

“The benefit of having the software is the ease and efficiency of information that we will have in real time. This gives us the ability to write grants more efficiently and more grants means more beds for families in need,” said Stamey.

The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg provided Home Makers of Hope a Community Impact Grant for $5,000 to purchase and implement the new software. This month, volunteers are learning how to use the software to document volunteer hours, confirm truck reservations, determine the most efficient route for furniture pickups, and generate tax documents.

Stamey attends St. Stephen Catholic Church, in Riverview and many of her volunteers and donors come from her parish and other churches in Hillsborough County, including Christ the King Parish, St. Paul Parish, and Nativity Parish. Her faith gives her a strong foundation of service and compassion.

“I was raised in a beautiful Catholic family with eight children, and my mom and dad were always doing things for others. I was raised that, if you see someone who needs help, you do it. That's what you do. It doesn't really matter if they're Catholic or they're not. It just matters that they're human beings that need help,” said Stamey.

She hopes the new software will help her to expand the services they provide since there is such a great need, and the impact of their work is far-reaching. Most recently, they provided beds to a family that consisted of a pregnant mom with two children, two adult siblings and a grandmother. They were living in a car and had finally found housing, but lacked resources for beds, furniture and other necessities. 

“Families like this touch your heart. We are doing something that's going to change somebody's life, and it's not going to change their life for a small period of time. It will change their lives for years. They'll be sleeping in those beds for years,” said Stamey.