Marion County’s Community Support Directory

COMMUNITY HOME PROJECT

The Marion County Hospital District has partnered with Marion County Public Schools to offer free services at Howard Academy located at 306 NW 7 Ave. Building 3, Ocala, FL 34475. The Community Home Project assists families with employment, educational tutoring and continuing education, healthcare navigation and dental clinics, fitness and nutrition classes (diabetes education, grocery orders) and much more.

CAREERSOURCE CITRUS LEVY MARION

CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion is made up of a dedicated team of professionals with one goal in mind: connecting businesses with well-qualified job candidates. CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion is the region’s recognized workforce leader and part of the unified CareerSource Florida workforce system. We collaborate with local economic development, education and community partners to develop world-class education/training and employment services to meet regional workforce needs. CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion, formerly Workforce Connection, is one of Florida’s 21 regions dedicated to putting people to work and helping businesses stay competitive.

Our mission goes beyond traditional workforce development. Through strategic collaboration with civic and community leaders, economic development organizations, and education and public partners we strive to create a lasting impact on the lives of those who call this region home.

HOPE OUTREACH HELP CENTER

Social service agency, helping with food, clothing, diapers, pet food and most other needs. Referrals also done to other local agencies for housing and rent and electric. Open Mondays only 1-4pm.

INTERFAITH EMERGENCY SERVICES, INC.

Interfaith is a faith-based organization that provides emergency assistance to Marion County residents.. Interfaith provides assistance with food, shelter, clothing, prescription medications and case management for individuals experiencing homelessness.

BROTHER’S KEEPER

The Brother’s Keeper emergency pantry strives to assist individuals and families in need in our community by providing food assistance and person care items.

We offer:

– Food to meet basic nutritional needs
– Personal care items

The level of assistance and the time constraints for assistance are set on a case by case basis. Applicants for assistance should be able to provide proper identification but no one will be denied the ability to apply for assistance. All applicants need visit us to fill out an intake form.

GATEWAY TO HOPE MINISTRIES

 We are a 501C-3 Non-Profit Christ-based ministry dedicated to serving the homeless, needy, underprivileged, frail, elderly, and working poor in the Greater Ocala area.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

We offer DRIVE-THOUGH free food pick-up for individuals and families who need support meeting their basic nutritional needs.

Gateway to Hope provides free nutritious food;

PACKAGED / BAGGED FOOD
Saturday mornings approximately
7:15 AM & ends 10 AM.

A PREPARED LUNCH
Thursdays
11:00 AM.
(Note: Saturday afternoon
distributions have been suspended)

SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK

HIS COMPASSION, INC

His Compassion is an entirely non-profit food bank operated by unpaid board members, limited paid staff, and volunteers that are made up of nurses, politicians, businessmen, businesswomen, lay people, and clergy from a broad number of faiths. 

Our mission is God’s mission. We are here to help and empower those in need right where they are. We partner with local churches, organizations, businesses, and individuals in order to accomplish Matthew 25. 

WINGS OF FAITH – Food Pantry

Hours of operation:
Every Wednesday 8am-10am
Also open on the first Wednesday 6pm-8pm
Food is available every Wednesday (except 5th Wednesday)

WINGS OF FAITH – Thrift Store

Hours of operation:
Every Wednesday 8am-10am
Also open on the first Wednesday 6pm-8pm
Food is available every Wednesday (except 5th Wednesday)

OCALA FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Tuesday Ministries Outreach
“Good Things Happen on Tuesdays “

Tuesday Ministries Outreach strives to create an environment of love and support in the community by providing encouragement and essential resources. Their goal is to offer a helping hand to those in need, fostering hope through various opportunities and services.

Tuesday Ministries Outreach begins its program at 9:30 AM every Tuesday in our Family Life Center featuring a devotional message, contemporary music, and a lunch served to all guests. This ministry creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere for everyone who attends.

How We Help: 

• Birth Certificates and Florida IDs
• Computer and Internet workstations
• Toiletries
• Tarps, Survival tents, Sleeping bags, and Backpacks
• Showers
• Employment support (work boots and restaurant shoes)
• Refurbished bicycles
• “Take what you need” from Carmela’s Clothing Closet
• Prayer pit
• Phone charging stations
• Art Center
• Bibles
• Free cell phones available
• Medicare/Medicaid representative on-site
• VA representative on-site monthly
• Lunch serves by LaCasella Catering
• Devotional message
• Contemporary music
• Christian Fellowship

ARTS4ALL FLORIDA

Arts4All Florida aims to create a world in which the arts are universally accessible throughout the state of Florida.

PAY IT FORWARD OUTREACH CORP

Hungry Stomachs Food Pantry is a non-profit, Native American-owned and operated food pantry that provides free meals to anyone in need within the community. As a food pantry, we are dedicated to fighting hunger and supporting those facing food insecurity.

HEAR NOW, LLC

Located in Ocala, Florida, Hear Now proudly provides audiology and hearing health services to the Marion County community. Our team of experts is dedicated to helping you regain your hearing and improve your quality of life.

COMMUNITY COMPANION CARE

After years of experience with our own family, we decided to put a team together with the express purpose of working with the elderly and disabled adults. We work closely with physicians, and healthcare professionals, as well as legal guardians and healthcare surrogates. Most seniors would like to remain in their home as long as possible, and our services can be used to help achieve that goal. We have the very best non-medical services available.

If you, or your loved one, is trying to make that transition, but you are not yet sure, allow us to act as a liaison for families from afar. We can continue our service for you even after you go into an Assisted Living Facility or Nursing Home, by making motivational visits, and (officially) unscheduled checkups including a progress report back to distant families. We only hire the most compassionate companion care providers, and each one is carefully screened for safe driving records, a drug test, and a background check. An agency representative will follow up after each appointment to be sure you are happy with all our services.

LGBT NATIONAL HELP CENTER

Providing free peer support to the LGBTQ community. Providing crisis prevention, affirmation, resources and support through hotlines and online services.

CAPTEL CAPTIONED PHONES

We provide those with hearing loss with a captioning phone and captioning service completely free.
This is a tax-funded program so there is no cost for the phone or the installation and no contracts or monthly fee.

The only requirements to qualify are:

1) Trouble hearing or understanding what’s being said to you over the phone.

2) High-speed Internet. You DO NOT need a landline for this service, only internet.

The phone will caption conversations in real time, so if someone has trouble hearing or understanding what’s being said over the phone, they can glance at the screen and keep up.

We come to the home, set the phone up and teach clients how to use it.

This program is essential for helping older clients age in place and provides an extra layer of safety in the event of an emergency because they will be able to better hear and understand what’s being said to them over the phone.

We can provide a phone to a client’s home, their workplace or any assisted or Independent Living community.

OCALA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Provides community Police response for public safety and well being. This includes a Victim Advocate Program to assist with comprehensive needs for victims of crime and citizens with social service needs.

COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES OF MID-FLORIDA

Provider of Civil Legal Services to income and asset eligible individuals and families.

MARION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM

Library system is a vital community resource that connects Marion County residents with their community and the world around them. Eight independent library locations include headquarters in Ocala, Belleview, Dunnellen. The Forest, Fort McCoy, Freedom (near SR200), Marion Oaks and Reddick. Library provides library resources and materials for children, teens and adults, as well as programmed events for all ages, meeting rooms at many locations, free Wi-Fi and public access computers.

RECOVERY DHARMA OCALA

Vet Resource Center

The mission of the Vet Resource Center, Inc (VRC) is dedicated to providing, through educational, information and resource identification, a basic available benefits education for every veteran in America.

Our online source, VetResourceCenter.com, has been created to help veterans and their families find information about the local, State and National benefits, services, and activities available. Not only veteran related information but also issues that affect every family.

Vet Resource Center Inc. provides early warning cancer tests for our Veterans exposed to Burn Pits and Toxins during their military service. Statistics show that of the 4.2 million that served, over 500,000 cases of cancer have been diagnosed and over 240,000 of those veterans have already died. An early warning cancer blood test that scans for 50 different types of cancer that costs $950 is available. Vet Resource Center has partnered with Grail, the company that manufactures the Galleri test to acquire the test for a reduced price and provide the test for free to our exposed veterans. 100% of your donations go to that effort.

ACCOMPLISHED HOME CARE

We offer a wide range of Medicare approved home health care services to your home that are fully adaptable to your family’s specific needs. Our clinicians provide physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psych nurse, social worker, and med management with education on new diagnosis.