Ten years ago, Delishia*, a single mom of four facing daunting financial challenges, walked to One More Child’s newly opened Harold Clark Simmons Compassion Center. There, she received support that that brought comfort and stability to her home: food for her pantry, clothing for her children, and a dining table where her family could gather for meals.
But she received more than tangible resources. She got further connected to our ministry and signed up for life skills classes to build a stable future founded on the hope of Jesus. From the beginning, the Compassion Center has been a hub of love in action and a place where the Holy Spirit moves: uniting donors, volunteers, churches, and ministry partners in support of families like Delishia’s.
A Decade of Meeting Needs, Changing Lives
Ten years later, the Compassion Center continues to bring people and resources together, expanding its reach and bringing hope to even more vulnerable children and families.
In July 2016, One More Child, then known as Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, dedicated the 16,000-square-foot Harold Clark Simmons Compassion Center on its Lakeland campus. A $1 million gift from the family of the late Harold Clark Simmons helped make the center possible. As Delishia experienced firsthand, the center would provide food, clothing, and other essentials alongside financial literacy courses, counseling, life-skills workshops, parenting classes, and resources to help families reunite and build stability.
At the dedication, One More Child’s then President and CEO Dr. Jerry Haag shared the organization’s vision:
“This building is going to exponentially expand our ability to feed children and love our neighbors, here and around the state, through compassion and action.”
THEN
NOW
Inside the Compassion Center: Serving Families Across Florida
On any given day, the Harold Clark Simmons Compassion Center brings people and resources together to meet needs throughout the community and across Florida.
Behind the scenes, staff coordinate semitruck deliveries to keep food and essential supplies moving through the center. Using forklifts and pallet jacks, they organize shipments and prepare supplies for distribution. These resources reach both families served directly by the Compassion Center and children and families throughout Florida through One More Child’s programs, churches, and community partners. In this way, the center serves as a central point for a network of people and organizations working together to meet needs across the state.
The Compassion Center also serves families directly through its Family Market.
In 2025, Hannah*, a single mom navigating a divorce, was struggling to provide for her 2-year-old daughter. Without financial support from her daughter’s father, she had fallen behind on rent and could no longer afford daycare. With just two diapers left, she turned to One More Child for help.
A staff member connected Hannah with Dr. Craig Parrow, One More Child’s Executive Director of Operations, who met her at the Compassion Center’s Family Market. Hannah was amazed by what she saw. She asked if she could use a shopping cart and how much the diapers would cost.
“Nothing—you can get what you need,” Dr. Parrow told her.
Hannah selected diapers, wipes, and groceries. Before she left, staff invited her to complete a form so the team could follow up with her. They helped load her car and prayed with her, bringing Hannah to tears of relief.
The Compassion Center’s work extends beyond meeting immediate needs— it instills long-term stability, connection, and hope.
The Next 10 Years Begin with You: Jacksonville and Beyond
As the Compassion Center celebrates its 10th anniversary, One More Child is also celebrating the opening of a new Compassion Center in Jacksonville.
The 25,000-square-foot facility expands the ministry’s capacity to provide resources to vulnerable children and struggling families throughout Northeast Florida. Like the Harold Clark Simmons Compassion Center, the Jacksonville center also connects the generosity of churches, businesses, and community partners with the needs of families throughout the region.
Scripture reminds us:
“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
— 1 John 3:18 (NIV)
Every day, children and families need food, diapers, clothing, and household essentials. And every day, there are opportunities to respond.
You can help meet those needs.
- Give essential supplies. Donate food, diapers, wipes, hygiene products, clothing, or household items.
- Give your time. Volunteer to sort, pack, or distribute resources that help children and families.
- Give financially. Help One More Child continue providing practical support to families who need it most.
Together, we can continue creating hubs for the Holy Spirit to work, just as He has at the Harold Clark Simmons Compassion Center—one gift, one volunteer hour, one family, and one more child at a time.
*Names changed for privacy.