- March 28, 2024
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Tears welled in Yahaira Velez's eyes as she hugged the bunk-bed frame that would become her child's bed.
"I can really have this?" she asked in disbelief.
This is the best part of Yolanda Garcia's job. The 25-year veteran at the Mustard Seed of Central Florida has watched thousands of people, many of whom have lost everything, tour their 2,000-square-foot warehouse, picking out furniture, clothing, appliances and anything else that will help make their a house a home.
Velez found out about Mustard Seed from Orange County Commissioner Mildred Fernandez, who has been championing the recovering organization for the last month.
In 2009, reports surfaced that alleged some wrongdoing on the founder and former executive director Carol Kane's behalf, such as dressing her daughter's home with Mustard Seed furniture and abusing the organization's finances. That's in addition to the power struggle that Executive Director Michelle Lyles said took place between Kane and Sharon Whitely, who was appointed executive director in late 2008.
Whitley was laid off in April 2009 because of the difficult economy, according to a letter from Kane, but Lyles said it was because the two butted heads. The Mustard Seed Board of Directors asked Kane to retire in February, even though Lyles was appointed to the position in August.
In the letter, Kane said Whitley and former board member John Baumann had been spreading derogatory rumors about the organization's finances but that the Mustard Seed had two independent audits done and "nothing has been found to support these erroneous accusations," she wrote.
Things looking up
Nonetheless, the 26-year-old organization in Eatonville, just outside of Maitland, has suffered financially because of the shake-up. Many supporters withdrew their contributions last year. Lyles said she and her team have worked tirelessly to bring them back and find new partnerships in the community, making 200 out-bound calls daily.
Now more donations are pouring in than usual and more of those donated items are being doled out to community members in need. The organization helps more than 100 families a month.
"Things were so backed up in the warehouse that we could not get the forklifts through the aisles to get the furniture," Lyles said. "We had a significant amount of inventory we were holding onto for disasters, but my theory is: if there is a disaster, local companies will step up. There are people who need these things now."
Lyles said Mustard Seed is booked for donation pick-ups for the next three weeks. However, monetary donations remain low. Heart of Florida United Way only recently took the organization off probation and is now supporting them again.
"Because of the battle going on over who's running Mustard Seed, we withheld funding until things were ironed out," said United Way Spokesperson Michelle Plant, adding that Mustard Seed must still submit monthly reports to make sure they continue to progress in a positive direction. "We had a long-standing partnership with the Mustard Seed, and they continue to meet an important need in the community."
They are also becoming green — recycling paper and accepting broken furniture that can be fixed or made into new pieces, and reaching out to local businesses, letting them know their trash might be Mustard Seed's treasure. The result: rows of chairs from the Double Tree Castle Hotel, piles of dishes from Darden Restaurants and boxes of educational DVDs from Raven Moon Entertainment of Longwood.
"We want people to know that things have stabilized here, and we're coming up with new ways to do things. It's not just the same old, same old," Lyles said.
"I think the fact that we are getting more donations means that the community has restored their faith in the Mustard Seed, but I still feel that we have a long way to go. There are still people who don't know about us."
The shake-up did more than just jostle the organization's funding. It made some fear for the Mustard Seed's future. Garcia said that at times, she worried that she may no longer be able to help her clients.
"The things we were hearing really set your mind. This is the only place where people can get this kind of help, and the first thing I thought of is, 'Where are my clients going to go to get help? Where are their kids going to sleep if they don't have beds? Where are the families going to eat dinner if they don't have a table?' It really gets you thinking, you know," Garcia said.
A fresh start
Velez scoped out new dressers for her six children, and nearly jumped for joy when she was told a washer/dryer set was available and tested a cream-colored couch — furnishing her second chance in life.
The 28-year-old IHOP waitress was released from prison in August after spending more than two years there for providing false information to a law enforcement officer and violating probation. She left her kids, ranging in age from 2 to 11, with a friend who promised to keep the siblings together. Now Velez is in a custody battle to win five of them back — her 4-year-old son lives with her now.
"I got out of prison to find a lot of doors closed on me," she said. "I'm a felon so I couldn't find a job.
"They rehabilitate you but they won't give you a chance once you're out. I think that's why a lot of people go back to the life that put them in prison — because no one will give them a second chance."
Garcia started at Mustard Seed as a client, volunteered for two years and then became an employee. The help she received from the organization pulled her out of depression and gave her family the support it needed. Now Garcia said Mustard Seed is getting what she got 25 years earlier.
"How it went before and now, we're getting a lot of furniture in and helping the clients who need it," she said. "We are getting a fresh start."
Visit mustardseedfla.org for more information.