New Directions Community Outreach Inc.
NDCO was founded in 2004 by Debra Thomas as a feeding program for homeless people in Seminole County, Florida. Once homeless herself, Debra made it her life’s purpose to ease the misery of life on the streets for others. What began as a small coterie donating food and blankets, expanded into an organization recognized by the community as a celebrated saving grace, aiding thousands of less fortunate individuals and families with food, financial assistance and scholarship opportunities throughout the years.
To prevent and reduce the growing rate of homelessness in Central Florida by equipping individuals and families with the proper tools to become self-sufficient through housing, outreach, awareness and educational programs and to address issues that individuals endure everyday by networking with local agencies and organizations to become more effective in resolving crises and issues affecting those less fortunate.
The impetus that drives Debra to help the downtrodden and needy is drawn from her personal experience with destitution. Seventeen years ago, unfavorable circumstances befell Debra herself. Impoverished and homeless, she found herself living in different family homes with her infant daughter, Niema. At this despondent point in time, Debra asked for God’s blessing to make a better life for herself. She then made a solemn vow to God, in turn, to become a blessing to others once she was on her feet again and able. This promise became the essential impellent for Debra’s purpose in life.
