Florida Good

A 77-year-old Newberry resident has inspired other acts of kindness by helping families in need. She manages a food bank out of her backyard called Blessed Hope.

On Sept. 11, the Homeless Veteran Stand Down and Community Resource Fair was held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Gainesville. It offered veterans resources ranging from housing assistance and medical screenings to food, clothes and haircuts.

Different events on campus and around Gainesville were held to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Gainesville chef Bert Gill has a cookbook promoting local and organic recipes. Passionate about local food, he hopes to put his community on the map.

Tara Lee is a 67-year-old Gainesville resident and a transgender woman who transitioned from male to female 14 years ago. Lee is just one of the many individuals in the local transgender community struggling to find acceptance.

The Gainesville Girls Rock Camp uses music to empower young girls and teens. Girls gain self-confidence throughout the program and learn to encourage each another.

While fasting from sunrise to sunset, volunteers with Project Downtown Gainesville served food to the homeless during the last 10 days of Ramadan. In the future, Project Downtown hopes to have the funding to feed the homeless for all 30 days Ramadan.

St. Elizabeth Greek Orthodox Church serves as an international melting pot. As the only Greek Orthodox church in the area, members provide services in English to encourage those of all cultures to attend.

Ken and Wendy Kebrdle left the American dream behind to help the homeless in Ocala. After serving as missionaries in Romania, they began holding training classes at churches to teach members about relationally-driven service as a substitute for handouts.

A fundraising page has raised more than $20,000 for the family of a 5-year-old girl who was killed by a jumping sturgeon. The girl's mother and brother were also injured.