Helping Hands

What Helping Hands does

Helping Hands Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity headquartered at 101 NE 16th Avenue, Ocala, Florida, that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and comprehensive support services to homeless and at-risk women, children, and families in Ocala/Marion County. Founded in 2008 by Ocala real estate developer Brad Dinkins after an encounter with a homeless individual, the organization operates a faith-based, all-volunteer-board governance model (board members Brad Dinkins, Lori Boring, Daryl Collier receive no compensation) and delivers services free of charge. Its service portfolio spans housing (18 two-bedroom units across two apartment buildings, two additional houses, and a 20-bedroom Cascade Oaks apartment complex), food, clothing, medical and dental assistance, transportation, counseling, job placement, and biblical life-skills training. The organization is registered with the Florida Division of Consumer Services (Registration Ref. CH35806), making all donations tax-deductible.

The operating model blends charitable donations, earned income, and event-based fundraising. Two thrift stores (The Helping Hands Thrift Store and The Treasure Shoppe) provide a recurring revenue stream, fund overhead, and serve as job-placement venues for program participants, with the original Silver Springs Shores location at 4,900 square feet employing five paid staff plus volunteers. Fundraising is a core revenue engine, executed through annual golf tournaments (e.g., 2020 event raised a record $107,050 during COVID-19), 5K runs (inaugural event raised $40,000 with 500+ participants), benefit dinners (World Wings International raised $7,400), and corporate sponsorships (Lockheed Martin as major sponsor, BBVA Compass Foundation, TD Bank Charitable Foundation, Microsoft software donation). Distribution is exclusively direct service delivery in a single-county market, with awareness generated via the company website (helpinghandsocala.org), annual newsletters, Amazon Smile, and community events.

There is no proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI component; the organization is a direct-service nonprofit, not a technology company. Growth has been measured in physical infrastructure expansion (from the original Cascade Oaks motel to a multi-building housing portfolio) and incremental fundraising event sophistication rather than revenue diversification across markets.

Name

Helping Hands

Legal name

Helping Hands Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://helpinghandsocala.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Helping Hands Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) faith-based nonprofit in Ocala, Florida that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and support services (food, medical, counseling, job placement) to homeless and at-risk women, children, and families in Ocala/Marion County, funded by donations, two thrift stores, and community fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless and Social Services

NAICS

Other Community Housing Services (624229), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Homeless shelter services
• Transitional housing programs
• Thrift store retail
• Social services nonprofit
• Community fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Ocala

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations supporting the homeless shelter and assistance programs
2. Thrift Store Operations: Two thrift stores (The Helping Hands Thrift Store and The Treasure Shoppe) selling donated merchandise, providing jobs for program participants and funding overhead expenses
3. Fundraising Events: Annual events including golf tournaments, 5K runs, benefit dinners, and other community fundraising activities

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Helping Hands Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity in Ocala, Florida that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and comprehensive support services to homeless individuals and at-risk women and children. The organization operates apartment complexes (Cascade Oaks, 18 two-bedroom units across two buildings) and two thrift stores that fund operations and provide employment opportunities for residents. Services include housing, food, clothing, medical/dental assistance, transportation, counseling, Bible study, job placement, and life skills training.

Product overview

Helping Hands Foundation is a nonprofit charity in Ocala, FL that operates as a single unified offering focused on homeless shelter and support services. The organization provides emergency and transitional housing through apartment complexes, supplemented by two thrift stores (The Helping Hands Thrift Store and The Treasure Shoppe) that generate funding and employment for residents. Core services include shelter, food, clothing, medical/dental assistance, transportation, counseling, job placement, and biblical life skills training. The organization accepts various donation types (monetary, vehicles, land, stocks) and communicates through periodic newsletters. There is no platform-plus-modules architecture—this is a direct-service nonprofit, not a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Helping Hands Thrift Store: Thrift store operated by Helping Hands Foundation to generate funding and provide employment for program participants
• The Treasure Shoppe
• Cascade Oaks Apartment Complex
• Cascade Oaks

Products and services

• Homeless Shelter and Housing Services Emergency and transitional shelter providing safe housing for homeless men, women, and children in Ocala/Marion County through apartment complexes, including 18 two-bedroom units across two buildings and the 20-bedroom Cascade Oaks Apartment Complex.
• Thrift Stores Two thrift stores (The Helping Hands Thrift Store and The Treasure Shoppe) selling donated clothing, furniture, and household items at low cost, funding housing operations and providing job opportunities for residents.
• Donation Services Accepts monetary donations via credit card or check, vehicle donations, land and building donations, stock/bond donations, and commemorative 'In Honor Of' or 'In Memory Of' donations. All donations are tax-deductible.
• Life Skills and Support Services Biblical principles education, values training, life skills training, counseling, and fellowship programs to help residents build new and better lives.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dory Funk Jr.'s BANG! Professional WrestlingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2013Lead sponsor of the Super Summer Sizzler Pro Wrestling Event at Hilton Ocala, helping raise $10,700 for the organization.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Family Promise: National faith-based nonprofit focused on family homelessness with comprehensive support services. Closely aligned with Helping Hands' primary mission of serving at-risk women and children.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Affordable housing nonprofit that builds, rehabilitates, and operates housing for low-income households. Comparable real-estate-centered approach to addressing housing insecurity in a community.
• Salvation Army: Faith-based, multi-service nonprofit offering homeless shelter, transitional housing, thrift stores, and case management. The most structurally comparable organization to Helping Hands, though operating at vastly larger national scale.
• St. Vincent de Paul USA: Faith-based Catholic nonprofit operating thrift stores and providing shelter, food, and housing assistance. Closely matches Helping Hands' integrated thrift-store-plus-direct-services approach.
• Goodwill Industries International: Operates thrift retail stores that fund job training and employment programs for disadvantaged populations. Directly comparable to Helping Hands' thrift-store-funded employment and resident training model.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: National faith-based network providing shelter, food, housing, and case management. Comparable mission and faith-based framing, but with substantially broader geographic and programmatic footprint.
• Volunteers of America: Large national nonprofit offering housing, behavioral health, and human services across a broad portfolio. Comparable multi-service model but operates at far greater scale and geographic reach.

Regional players

• Miami Rescue Mission: Florida-based faith-based homeless shelter providing emergency shelter, meals, and recovery programs. Directly comparable mission and faith-based approach, though serving a different Florida market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/helpinghandsoca
• Facebookfacebook.com/HelpingHandsOcala

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Helping Hands