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Central Florida day care owners go beyond job description to help children

Couple runs a day care and family thrift store

A Lake County family is getting results and inspiring others to dream big, while also helping people find ways to better address their feelings and their mental health.

The couple runs a day care and a family thrift store. They recently helped their two sons become published authors.

Cameron and Ramiqa Hopewell are all about hope and the well-being of others.

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Their family-run Well of Hope food bank here in the Four Corners area of Clermont is open to anyone.

“When families come in, they’re not just getting canned goods, but we are able to give them full-service chicken, steak and more,” Cameron Hopewell said. “When the need increased, we were able to increase our efforts and that’s what made me happy.”

Cameron’s parents opened the food bank and thrift store back in 2008 and now serve more than 300 families a month, many of them are still bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The proceeds from the thrift store is what supplies the food bank,” Cameron Hopewell said.

He said people from the community donate clothes and furniture to the thrift store.

They also partner with the Second Harvest Food Bank and other organizations throughout Central Florida.

Meantime, Cameron and his wife Ramiqa are also owners at We Care Academy, also located in the Four Corners area.

When they’re not helping children learn the value of giving back and making positive choices, they’re hoping the books that their family published this year will inspire others to talk more about their feelings.

“Everything we do we’re helping someone,” Ramiqa Hopewell said. “These books are all created with seeds.”

Their books are all aimed at helping more people deal with grief, sadness, anxiety and more. You can read more about the books or purchase them at this link.