Down to donate

A Seminole Chronicle Article

Chad Vickery prepares a bag of canned food from the food pantry at The Forgotten Ones, Inc. in Oviedo.

Photo by: Ed Ruping

By Steven Ryzewski | November 13, 2013

Halloween is in the rear-view, the temperature is dropping - well, sort of - and, yes, there have even been a few Santa sightings.

It's mid-November in Central Florida and with Thanksgiving just around the corner and Christmas on the horizon, it is a time when many consider ways to give back and help out in the spirit of the holiday season.

There are several local organizations that need donations and volunteers in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and beyond.

Here is an overview of some of the local organizations that are welcoming donations and volunteers and how you can get involved:

The Forgotten Ones

The Forgotten Ones in Oviedo, an organization that, among other things, helps to provide identification, access to benefits, cellphones, an emergency food pantry, vision services and referral services, has events coming up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, there will be a free lunch, groceries and live music at the First Baptist Church in Oviedo. Volunteers and donations are needed. There will be a similar event on Dec. 21. Cindy Shadron, executive director of The Forgotten Ones, encourages people to donate to help fill the pantry for these events. Information can be found online at theforgottenonesinc.org.

Donation drop-off location: 98 West Broadway St., Oviedo

The Sharing Center

The Sharing Center in Longwood is in need of donations for its upcoming programs and events in November and December. The organization will have food drives for both Thanksgiving and Christmas with the goal of providing complete meal ingredients to thousands in Central Florida. The Sharing Center is encouraging food donations to help families prepare their own meals and is also providing ready-to-eat packages for homeless individuals. More information about what types of ingredients and foods are needed can be found online atthesharingcenter.org.

With regard to volunteer opportunities, The Sharing Center has a thrift store and warehouse that utilizes volunteers to sort, organize and prepare donations. These are opportunities for which people can serve one time or on an ongoing basis. Regular, ongoing opportunities are available in the organization's food pantries at the Sanford and Longwood locations.

The Sharing Center also has programs to provide shoes to children in need, with a program that gives $20 gift cards to Payless or somewhere comparable so that parents and children can go pick out a new pair of shoes. Patricia Shields, the coordinator of volunteer opportunities for the organization, said being able to pick out their own shoes gives the children a heightened sense of self-esteem.

"Years ago, we made a decision to focus on providing new shoes to children since there were already so many others working to collect toys," Shields said. "Shoes are a common Christmas list item for most kids we see ... our shoe program has been hugely successful providing over 1,500 pairs of shoes to local children annually."

More information about the shoe program can be found online, or by contacting Shields at Patricia.Shields@thesharingcenter.org.

Donation drop-off location: 600 N. Highway 17-92, Longwood

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army's Greater Orlando location is in need of donations, both physical and monetary, for its upcoming events and programs in November and December. For general questions about donations, call 407-423-8581, ext. 252, or email Kyle_McNeil@uss.salvationarmy.org or Jaylen_Christie@uss.salvationarmy.org.

Donation drop-off location: 416 West Colonial Drive, Orlando

Second Harvest Food Bank

The Second Harvest Food Bank is in need of volunteers to help sort donations and to staff the organization's Share Your Christmas event on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13. Mindy Ortiz, the volunteer services and food drive manager for Second Harvest, encourages those interested to check out the organization's calendar online which lists the many opportunities to sign up and get involved. Information can be found online here or by contacting Ortiz at 407-295-8844.

Donation drop-off location: 411 Mercy Drive, Orlando

The Forgotten Ones Finds Jobs

Photo by Sarah Wilson

The Forgotten Ones founder Cindy Shadron, with the help of volunteers such as Pephanie Aurelus (right), helps locals in need find jobs and get back on their feet.

A Seminole Voice Article

By Brittni Larson August 7, 2013 8:43 p.m.

The gap separating Robert Green from his family was already hundreds of miles wide when his life took a turn for the much worse. He moved to Florida to be with his mother while she was sick. But when the sickness took his mother, all that was left was him. His family felt distant and he had no friends to lean on. He needed to start his life over, to get a job, and to lift himself out of the sadness.

But Green didn’t know where to start — he’d been on disability and not working for four years because of hip replacements. An Internet search brought him to The Forgotten Ones (TFO), a charitable organization located at The Vine Thrift Store in Oviedo that offers, among many other services, an emergency food pantry, guidance about getting food stamps and identification, and job search help.

He thought he’d stop by one of their monthly events where they serve lunch and give free haircuts; maybe they could help him. He didn’t know how much of an impact Cindy Shadron, executive director for the nonprofit, would have on his life.

“It was like God had showed up,” he said.

The Vine Thrift Store is located at 98 W. Broadway St. in Oviedo. To learn how you can get help from Cindy Shadron and her team, or if you’re interested in volunteering, visit the store, call 407-971-8135 or go totheforgottenonesi.... The Forgotten Ones will be having a fashion show and auction to raise funds for The Shiloh Ranch on Friday, Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m. at the Oviedo Women’s Club, 414 King St. in Oviedo.

It’s been a month since he met Shadron and her team, and he’s already got a job as a shuttle driver. They also helped him get glasses — vital for a job as a driver — a uniform for his new gig, and most importantly, a lighter heart.

“That just changed my whole outlook,” Green said. “That gave me the energy, the strength, the confidence that I’m not alone.”

Shadron opened the thrift shop as a way to start a nonprofit, and to eventually get an idea called the Shiloh Ranch off the ground. The ranch, which she hopes to open next year, would aim to help former foster children aged 18 to 25 aging out of the foster care system, or who are runaways or homeless. The ranch would give the young adults a place to live, with people to encourage, support and teach them life skills, while they enrich their lives by helping rescue animals.

The nonprofit has expanded its services each time someone has asked for something new, be it assistance with submitting food stamp forms to getting a hearing aid. They do whatever it takes, Shadron said.

“The Forgotten Ones goes the extra mile for people,” said Brooke Payne, outlook director for TFO. “We do what others won’t; we’re here.”

When people started asking for job help, Shadron used her community connections to find job openings. While the economy and unemployment rate still suffer, she’s only seen job placement by TFO raise, because those who reach out to her looking for new employees know what she does to help people get back on their feet. They trust her.

But she’s also discerning in who she’ll recommend for jobs, and those people many times get her cell phone number to call when they need her, too. She can sense a real need and a drive underneath to succeed.

Payne was one of those cases. She’d come to volunteer and get some help while her mom was there doing community service. She wasn’t in a stable home situation, and had been looking for work for a while. And then her volunteering turned into a paying job as the outlook director at TFO, with her graphic design degree working to create the new Web site for the organization. Before, Payne said she’d nearly lost all hope. But Shadron has watched her go from gazing away with a broken spirit, to being completely confident in her position.

That’s what she sees in many people who have found their path in life again through TFO’s help.

“The light in their eyes changes,” Shadron said. “I hope that everybody leaves with more of a purpose in their life.”

They also make it a priority to not only be there to offer encouragement and guidance about job interviews, but also to follow-up and make sure their client gave it their all. Many tell them that it was the push from people at TFO that made them actually fill out the application or go to the interview with a positive attitude.

“They get alone again and they can’t get themselves to do the first step,” Shadron said. “We help them stay on it.”

That was what Green said got him the job — the motivation from Shadron. Grieving for the loss of his mother took a lot of his own zest for life away, but the team at TFO instilled a faith in him that everything would be alright, and that he’d get a job. And now that he has one, he hopes to get his own place and make some time to volunteer at the nonprofit when he’s not working.

Shadron said TFO employees’ personal interest in those who come in for help is the key to everyone’s success. They lift people up.

“They need a person that believes in them, that can get them to believe in themselves again.”

"A Walk to Remember"

A Seminole Chronicle Article

Man walks from Casselberry to Oviedo, finds solace at The Vine

By Bel Huston | July 24, 2013

Eric Akins

Each day, hundreds of cars traverse Broadway Street in Oviedo, as people make their way to work and school and back home again. And each day, they may pass The Vine thrift store, off of Broadway, completely unaware of the store or what it offers to the community.

At first glance, it looks like any other thrift store, one where you might find that extra chair for your living room or a new treasure to bring home for the kids. For countless people however, The Vine is where they have found something they might have lost otherwise: hope.

This was the case for Eric Akins, who walked from Casselberry to Oviedo one day, unsure of exactly where The Vine was located, but assured that once he got there, he would find the help he needed.

The Vine is run by The Forgotten Ones Inc., a nonprofit organization that was founded by Cindy Shadron initially to help kids who had "aged out" of foster care. Today, it also serves as a resource center, offering programs that help people with everything from obtaining birth certificates, driver's licenses and IDs, to eyeglasses, transitional housing and job referrals.

Akins, 50, had battled a drug addiction off and on in his life before spending the past four and a half years at Faith Farm Ministries in Boynton Beach, a faith-based addiction recovery program.

"That was Oct. 15, 2008, and I left out of there May 15, 2013. And in that time that I was there, I got a closer, stronger relationship with the Lord," he said.

Akins had been having a hard time finding work and didn't have much time before he needed to find a job. He was at his wit?s end when he decided to walk to Oviedo one Tuesday morning. Akins laughed as he recalled his thoughts during his trek to The Vine, remembering his conversation with God on the way to his destination.

"I got up to about Oviedo Mall on Red Bug [Lake] Road, and I was like, OK, I'm going to pull the Moses card. Free me from bondage; now you're going to kill me in the desert?" Akins said.

All in all, it took him about two hours to walk from Casselberry to Oviedo. He continued up Broadway Street and found himself in front of First Baptist Oviedo. Something, Akins said, urged him to turn his head, and there it was: The Vine.

He didn't have an appointment, so he stayed and did some volunteer work until Shadron was available. She then spent some time with him to chat about his situation and helped him get the paperwork started that he needed to obtain an ID.

"I said, 'Don't worry,' and I sat down and talked to him and said, 'You had faith to walk here, so something great must be going to happen to you,'" Shadron said.

Just the day prior, Shadron had received a phone call from a woman who said she knew of a gentleman who was looking to hire someone. The man owned a home repair business, she said, and he needed someone to help him out. Akins, as it turns out, was a construction worker at one point and had all kinds of experience under his belt for such a job. Shadron decided to give the man a call, right then and there.

"I'm going to give the guy a call; we're going to pray and thank the Lord now that you already have the job," Shadron said to Akins.

Akins and the potential employer chatted. Shadron gave Akins bus tickets to get home and back the next day to The Vine, where his now new employer picked him up for his first day of work.

Two of the people involved in the story - the employer and the woman who made the call to Shadron at The Vine - are Good Samaritans who chose to remain anonymous. But their actions, helped Akins in his journey to make a new start in life.

Akins said he hopes his story can help others.

"My mindset is, with man it's impossible; with God, all things are possible. And if I can share my testimony of my life with anybody and that's going to bring them to the Lord, I'll do it. I have no problem with it," Akins said. "And whatever I can do to help somebody out, I'm there for them. There was help for me, and I can do no less."

And if getting a new lease on life isn't inspiring enough, Akins' story also includes a romance. He and his high school sweetheart, Tammy Trzcinski, got in touch with the help of Facebook two years ago, and the two have rekindled their high school romance.

"The instant I saw her I looked into her eyes again; I was so in love, I never fell out of love with her," Akins said. "I chased different dreams and avenues to fill what I was missing with her, but it was never the same."

Trzcinski said she is beyond proud of Akins' journey so far.

"Where he lived, he was [at Faith Farm] for five years, and that was pretty much his life. So getting back to the real world, I guess you can say, has just been a leap of faith for him, and he didn't give up," Trzcinski said.

This is just one such tale, Shadron said, of a man who received the help he needed. She added that she sees things like this every day at The Vine.

"There's good stories still," Shadron said. "There's miracles happening."

Anyone with a desire to help can be a part of these stories as well. Shadron said there are a number of ways one can lend a hand at The Vine. It can be as simple as a financial donation or serving as a sponsor to help mentor young people.

"Sometimes that's all it takes for somebody at a crossroads, for them to pick which way they're going to go," Shadron said. "And that might make all the difference in the world."

Celery Stalks

A Seminole Voice Article

Celery Stalks

By Janet Foley March 28, 2013 6:29 pm.

Did you all happen to read the article in the Orlando Sentinel last Saturday by Beth Kassab on where our chickens will fit in our new down town? We are not finding many of our feathered friends around town now, but people are saying they are beginning to show up – so now we are to worry about them fitting in around Oviedo on the Park. That will take time. Meanwhile, let’s worry about their bravery navigating around town when the buildings are being moved. I can just hear the dinner table conversations now.

This is the last call to place historic items – “photography, writing and local artefacts” – in one of the Seminole County Public Library branches’ time capsules. The deadline is Saturday, March 30, at 5 pm. The capsules will be sealed at special ceremonies on April 14 at 2 pm., and will be opened in 2063. For more information, call the East Branch Library at 407-665-1560.

Saturday, March 30, is a very busy day for all little ones. The First United Methodist Church of Oviedo is having a Community Easter Egg Hunt at 11 am. Bring the kids and grand kids along with a couple dozen filled plastic eggs for a great fun morning.

Also, the city of Oviedo will have its Marshmallow Drop at 10 am. at the Oviedo Sports Complex, 1251 E. Broadway St. Tickets are $1 before the event, and $2 the day of the event. Children will collect marshmallows to redeem for candy. For more information, please call 407-971-5575.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life will begin on Saturday, April 6, at 2 pm. and run until 8 am. on Sunday, April 7, at Hagerty High School. If you’d like to get involved, please visit relayforlife.org/oviedofl

This year once again, the Historic Walking Tour on Saturday, April 6, will begin at the First United Methodist Church with a pancake breakfast from 8 to 10:45 am., with tours from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The cost is free but donations will be cheerfully accepted. Recommended donation for the breakfast is $5, and $2 for tours. This year’s theme is “Tall Tales,” with guided tours leaving every 15 minutes. The hike is 1.4 miles long. It is always a very nice event presented by TOPP (The Oviedo Preservation Project).

The Oviedo Garden Club presents its annual plant sale from 8:30 am. to 12:30 pm. on Saturday, April 13, at the Oviedo Cemetery on the corner of Broadway Street and Aulin Avenue with ample parking. All are welcome. The plant sale has been a tradition of the club for decades. Many of the club’s members grow many of the plants from seeds in their own greenhouses and backyards. The sale is unique in many ways, as the club’s 30 members are available to share their knowledge and experience of growing these plants. All plants are reasonably priced, and proceeds from the sale are given to local groups such as Florida Trail Association, Ed Yarborough Nature Center and other environmental related organizations, as well as the local library. For more information, please call Barbara at 407-366-5380.

The Forgotten Ones Inc. continues to cultivate hope in the hearts of others with free lunch, groceries and haircuts available on the last Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Vine Outreach Thrift Store, located at 98 West Broadway Street. in Oviedo. Volunteers are needed for cashiers and resource center help. For more information, please call 407-971-8135 or visit theforgottenonesinc.org

Happy Easter to one and all.

A thought: ”Books are more than books. They area the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason men lived and worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives. – Amy Lowell

Lions Club Member Sets Sight on Vision Charity

A Seminole Chronicle Article

By Marisa Ramiccio | September 13, 2012 

Oviedo-Winter Springs Lions Club
Chairman Paul Schwimmer,
partnered with Cindy Shadron,
Executive Director of
The Forgotten Ones,Inc.

When Oviedo-Winter Springs Lions Club chairman Paul Schwimmer began collecting eyeglasses and setting up eye exams for the sight-impaired residents of Seminole County, he never thought he'd end up visually impaired himself. But during a yearly checkup, Schwimmer's doctor discovered a problem and sent him to a retinal specialist who diagnosed him with macular degeneration, an eye condition that causes loss of vision.

"He said 'If you had macular degeneration 10 years ago, I would have told you to get a dog and a cane,'" Schwimmer said.

Schwimmer was able to receive eye injections - six in his left eye and 17 in his right eye - to slow the progression of his macular degeneration. He said he can read large-print books and can still drive in familiar areas, but what he can no longer do is collect eyeglasses for those in need, a long-time mission of both Schwimmer and the Lions Club.

Schwimmer originally joined the Lions Club in Michigan in 1965. When he moved to Central Florida in 1973, he decided to join the Winter Park branch because it hosted meetings at night. He later transferred to the Oviedo-Winter Springs branch once it was created.

"In 2000, the Oviedo-Winter Springs club got started, and being a former Lion, I was one of the principal members of the club," Schwimmer said. "The new members would ask me what the other clubs did and I said the one thing they do is go out and collect old eyeglasses [for those who] can't afford them."

The Lions Club, which formed in Chicago in 1917, officially adopted the cause of sight preservation in 1925, when Helen Keller addressed the club. Schwimmer said that this cause somehow fell on his shoulders, but he took it and ran with it.

For five years, he collected eyeglasses from 44 locations in Seminole and Orange counties, from Lake Mary to the airport and across I-4. One of the reasons he can no longer continue collecting is because he can only see well enough to drive on familiar roads. A request from family and friends also persuaded him to stop.

"One of the reasons I had to give this up is because some family and friends said 'You're 81 years old, and while you're in one of the seedy sections of Greater Orlando, one of these days someone will try to do you harm to steal your truck.'"

Aside from collecting eyeglasses, Schwimmer and the rest of the Lions Club also became involved in setting up eye exams and securing surgeries for those in need.

Because of Schwimmer's acquaintance with Cindy Shadron, the executive director of The Forgotten Ones charity in Oviedo, the two organizations partnered to assist those who can't afford eyeglasses or surgery.

"It helps us to know that they can come here," Shadron said. "We had one guy who needed surgery and we got the guy's surgery. He was crying because he had been to so many places but he couldn't afford it. Nobody was helping this man."

When someone is identified as being in need, a member of the Lions Club meets him or her at the Vine Outreach Thrift Store, which is owned by The Forgotten Ones. The member walks that person through the paperwork and establishes whether or not the person's in need of financial aid. If they are, the Lions Club will pay $200 per eye per surgery, which can cost up to $5,000. The rest of the cost is picked up by the Lions Foundation for the Blind.

"I love doing it. I've helped in excess of 2,000 people, and I felt great about the fact that I've been able to help these people," Schwimmer said.

One of the people he's been able to help is Genitha Nickson, a volunteer at The Forgotten Ones. Nickson started doing community service under the guidance of Shadron, who asked her if she needed anything. Aside from an ID and her birth certificate, Nickson also needed eyeglasses. Shadron called Schwimmer, who met Nickson at The Forgotten Ones and set her up with a pair of glasses.

"Since I've been here, my life has changed a little bit," Nickson said. "They've helped me out a lot."

Schwimmer's life, of course, has also changed. Though he no longer collects eyeglasses for the Lions Club, he's still very much an active member. As the chairman of the club, he's involved with projects including Right to Sight, which promotes programs that fight blindness and loss of vision. He oversees fundraising events, such as the club's bingo night at St. Alban's Church on Aloma Avenue.

"Every penny that comes in is used for the benefit of the neighborhood and the surrounding areas," Schwimmer said.

But his work doesn't stop there. He's also busy training the three Lions Club members who will take over his collection duties, and he's still helping people who are in need of eye surgery.

"I've still got clients who are in the process of getting surgeries and I'm taking care of them until they're finished," he said.

For more information on The Oviedo-Winter Springs Lions Club, email Dennis Dulniak at ddulniak@ucf.mail.edu. 

For more information on The Forgotten Ones, visit www.theforgottenonesinc.org.

The Vine Gets Dose Of Own Medicine From Scout

A Seminole Chronicle Article

By Alicia Mandigo | August 02, 2012

Eagle Scout Andrew McCrary
stands in front of
a collection of items for sale.
Money made from
The Vine Outreach Thrift Store
ultimately funds plans
for the Shiloh Ranch.

It sits just at the crest of the hill in downtown Oviedo in the shadow of the giant Baptist church across the street. It's The Vine Outreach Thrift Store, a modest store that screams "look at me" with street-side displays of eclectic wares and signs offering free bread and pastries. Perhaps you've noticed it without realizing that its purpose is to serve the people in our community who go unnoticed.

"We try to give people their life vision back, or perhaps give them a new vision," Director Cindy Shadron said.

Shadron opened The Vine five years ago as a way to raise money for a proposed ranch that would serve as a transitional facility for teenagers aging out of foster care. Plans have named it the Shiloh Ranch, and it will provide children with a chance to participate in a working ranch while acquiring the skills and services they need to transition into adulthood. Of course, the ranch concept requires money, so Shadron created an umbrella nonprofit called The Forgotten Ones, and The Vine operates beneath it by generating the bulk of the nonprofit's funding.

The Vine is housed in what used to be a downtown cottage. It holds an abundance of stuff that is strikingly well organized throughout The Vine's small space. A steady stream of people shuffle through. Some of the visitors are there to shop, but most of them are there to visit Shadron and her volunteers.

"We try to connect with people; we don't simply give them bread and send them on their way," Shadron said.

The people who come through are people in need of services and moral support, and The Vine provides it. A woman newly arrived from Puerto Rico needed help securing identification. She can't get a job without ID, so The Vine helped her. An alcoholic homeless man who cleaned up his act needed to clean up his appearance, so The Vine provided him a haircut and a shave.

"We do so much; it's hard to quantify," Shadron said. "We've taught people to read, we help them find work, we try to meet them where they are in life and give them a hand up."

However, the tables recently have turned for the nonprofit. Now, The Vine is receiving their own hand up from a 16-year-old scout working toward his Eagle Scout rank.

"I decided to do a project for them because they've been giving to the community for years, and I thought it was time somebody gave something back to them," prospective Eagle Scout Andrew McCrary said.

The Vine has outgrown its space. In the lot behind the thrift store, The Vine has a tractor-trailer so overloaded with Christmas decorations that spill out when the door is opened. The decorations will provide good revenue when the season hits, but right now, they can't even be displayed. So McCrary proposed building shelves to put in the tractor-trailer for his Eagle Scout project. It's an enormous undertaking. The trailer first has to be emptied. He will then build sets of 6-by-8 foot shelving for displaying the Christmas decorations. When it's complete, McCrary will have built a total of 360 square feet worth of shelving space. It's the kind of project that could easily intimidate someone.

"I was [intimidated] in the beginning because I had to raise $700 and I wasn't really prepared, but now I'm comfortable with it," McCrary said.

In addition to raising the money to pay for the shelving, McCrary has also recruited volunteers to help with the work. It will have been an eight-month long project when he completes it this month.

McCrary and his fellow scouts have volunteered at The Vine before, helping with things like serving Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless. He says he was particularly drawn to The Vine's mission of helping children aging out of foster care, and that's why he asked Shadron if he could use The Vine for his Eagle Scout project.

"She told me, 'I always have projects for Eagle Scouts,'" McCrary said.

That's understandable, since Shadron said the scouts always do impressive work.

Helping The Forgotten Ones

Photo by Brittni Larson

Luisa Perez cuts Dean Moscato’s hair at The Vine Thrift Store’s free lunch event where they also offer free haircuts.

"Helping The Forgotten Ones"

A Seminole Voice Article

By Brittni Larson July 12, 2012 3:31 p.m. 

The stories about the “forgotten ones,” even in our own backyard, are endless. The mom of three whose husband has been out of work for six months, the man who lost his job and can barely scrape up enough money to get groceries, the good guy who let his tough life lead him to drink too much — all just snippets of the daily struggle that many just don’t see.


But Cindy Shadron is one of the few who not only knows their stories in detail, but also helps to change them into something better.


“People are hurting everywhere … the people right here,” Shadron said. “A lot of them are starting over and they don’t know what to do.”


Shadron, a native of Oviedo and resident of Geneva, started The Vine Thrift Store in Oviedo when she wanted to create a way to give back. She spent 11 years as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem, a person who is court appointed to represent children who have been taken out of their homes because of abuse or neglect, to make sure they find a safe and caring permanent environment. After seeing what those children go through, she knew she needed to do more. She started The Forgotten Ones Inc., which is a non-profit that encompasses her thrift store and an outreach center.


“She’s dedicated her life to others,” said Linda Moscato, who used their food pantry to provide for her son when he lost his job.


Shadron’s goal is to start a working ranch for young adults 18-25 who are aging out of the foster care system, being released from a juvenile correctional facility, or are homeless or runaways. They’d be able to learn love, leadership and hard work while being mentored by people who truly care about them, Shadron said. Not only that, the ranch would be home to rescue animals and offer horticulture classes for the public. She hopes it will be up and running next year.


But she had to start somewhere, and for her The Vine was the beginning. Right now, it’s her whole life, but she never stops looking toward her ultimate goal.


“I got so busy here, it’s absorbed all my time, but it didn't absorb my heart and goals,” she said about her dream of starting the ranch.


So far, The Vine has spawned The Resource Center there, where Shadron, her husband Mike and volunteers help those in need become self-sufficient. Their services include an emergency food pantry and referrals to organizations that can assist them. They also pay for and assist in paperwork to get identification, such as Florida State ID cards and social security cards, which are required to get help from many food pantries and to gain employment.


Most of all, they offer support and encouragement. Many lose their vision and goals or have never had anyone ask them what they are in the first place. Shadron gives hugs, and tells people she loves them. Some can’t remember the last time they've heard that.


“I’ve seen that light they had that’s kind of gone,” Shadron said.


For more information about Cindy Shadron’s The Forgotten Ones, located at The Vine 98 W Broadway Street in Oviedo, visit www.theforgottenonesinc.org or call 407-495-5100. The last Saturday of every month they serve free lunch to the public. They also have an emergency food pantry for those in need.


Shadron needs volunteers and funds to continue helping locals in need and to get her ranch off the ground. Emailinfo@theforgotten... or call 407-495-5100 if you’re interested in helping.


She tries to kindle that fire with hope for the future. People like Mike Sykes of Oviedo are helped every day. Sykes, who was homeless and an alcoholic, finally asked them for help after attending their free lunch event a few times. The Shadron's took him to the hospital for detox, got him into a program to recover from his alcoholism and let him stay with them for a couple weeks. In reality, Sykes was a stranger when they helped him through all that. Now, he’s part of their Vine family. He said he wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for them. He’s been sober for almost two years.


“It’s impacting lives and mine in a very positive way,” Sykes said. “They showed me how to care about other people and myself.”


Dean Moscato said he’s learned a lot from his hardships, too. When he lost his job, his mother got food from The Vine and sent it to him in Colorado for about a year. Once he got down to Florida, seeing all the good work they do made him want to volunteer his time while he looks for a job. The experience has changed his whole outlook on life and people, he said.


“I used to be a lot more judgemental,” Moscato said. “I've learned how to be a better person.”


Mother of three Shanti Suarez-Correa said that Shadron has been a blessing in her life, giving guidance, groceries and friendship whenever she’s needed it. And just like Shadron always says, God has put it on her heart to give this help. It was meant to be.


“Never feel ashamed to say you need help because God puts the right people in your path, and when you least expect it,” Correa said. “And that she was for me, definitely an angel.”