By Libby Hopkins
When Saving Grace Moving Company of Plant City started over three years ago, they were a moving company that wanted to take the stress out of the moving experience that so many people were dealing with due to foreclosures and evictions from the housing market decline. They wanted to try and be a “saving grace” to these people in their time of need.
Brooke Sperry is one of the owners of the company and she was glad that her company could ease people’s minds, but she wanted to do more. “Often people would ask us if we knew anyone who needed a piece of furniture they were getting rid of and we thought that a great way for us to give something back to the community. We would open a thrift store and sell donated furniture and household goods and then use half of the profits to help local families in need,” Sperry said. The company had found out through word of mouth about a young couple with an 8-month-old baby who were about to become homeless because they were being evicted from their residence.
The couple had both lost their jobs shortly after their child was born and need a place to store their belongings while they tried to sort things out. Sperry saw this as a chance to give back and use some of the profits from the thrift shop the moving company had opened this past June. “We decided they would be the first family we offered to help,” Sperry said, “Since the husband was willing to work, we saw this as an opportunity to provide more than just a handout, we could possibly provide a way for them to have long-term stability.”
The company offered the husband a job, found the couple a place to live and paid the deposit for their new place, along with paying the first three month’s rent for the couple. “It is our hope that we will be able to continue to help local families out of the profits from the thrift store,” Sperry said, “Depending on how donations come in and revenues from selling donated items, we plan to find a family we can help several times a year.” She also said that helping the couple has changed the way she looks at her job. “I feel like I’m making a difference in people’s lives and it’s an amazing feeling,” Sperry said.
For more information on Saving Grace Moving Company, you can visit their website at www.savinggracemoving.com or call them at 367-7072. They are located at 1705C James Redmond Pkwy. in Plant City.
