ORLANDO, Fla. – The life enrichment center — housed in United Against Poverty’s Orlando Campus — is usually open, but this week, the doors were locked.
The resource center is temporarily closed due to a damaged and leaking roof.
Anjali Vaya is the nonprofit’s executive director.
She said the organization serves families across the state, providing crisis care, food and even employment training.
Due to the damage, some services are suspended.
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“This is terrible, it’s terrible for the community,” Vaya said.
They were forced to close down the medical wing and the emergency food pantry.
In the center, insulation can be seen hanging, and some of the ceiling panels were broken and water-stained.
Vaya said the medical wing was just renovated in January.
“It’s very heartbreaking,” she said.
She is worried the roof damage will soon impact other parts of the building.
Signs of water leaks have already started to show up in the member-share grocery store, where income-qualified members can purchase food for less.
Vaya said she is trying to protect the new freezers, an upgrade that cost nearly $1 million
The staff have used garbage bins to catch rainwater falling from the roof so that it doesn’t flow toward the freezer section of the grocery store.
Vaya said this damage was caused by Hurricane Ian, and they have not been able to obtain state grants to fix the issue.
Fortunately, AdventHealth pledged to donate $20,000 on Friday to help them start to fix the issue.
Roofing experts told Vaya though, it could cost $150,000 to repair the entire roof, which is a huge, unexpected expense.
“We do need to be proactive at this point knowing that this could be a bigger disaster,” Vaya said.
If you want to help, the non-profit is accepting donations. To do so, click here.
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