The Mustard Seed
We help people rebuild their lives and make a house a home.
The Mustard Seed started the way a lot of nonprofits do — one person saw a problem, and knew they had to do something to solve it.
In 1984, homelessness was becoming an epidemic in the Central Florida community. And it was, as it is today, a complicated issue. People wanted to diagnose it, cast judgment, politicize it. But Carol Kane didn’t see it that way. She simply saw that some of God’s children were suffering. And she wanted to help.
Carol started out of her garage, collecting household items and giving them away to people who needed them. Today, The Mustard Seed is delivering on Carol’s vision in exponential fashion. Operations have grown from a garage to a 20,000-square-foot warehouse. More important than the size of the warehouse, though, is the size of the impact.
The only furniture and clothing bank in Central Florida.
The Mustard Seed serves 3,000 people each year — individuals and families whose lives have been torn apart by personal tragedy, natural disaster and financial hardship.
We collect donations of furniture, appliances, household items, linens, dishes, toys, home decor and anything that makes a house a comfortable home. Then, we provide these items to people who need them.
97% of the people we serve are dealing with severe economic hardship. The other 3 percent are disaster victims whose circumstances left them without the financial resources to create stable futures.
As they build back their lives, The Mustard Seed becomes their final stop. Here, they’ll pick up everything they need for the fresh start they deserve.
Creating a more sustainable community.
In addition to providing items for reuse, The Mustard Seed recycles unusable items for their individual parts: metals, cardboard, sheet plastics, fabric, foam and wood.
Since 2011, The Mustard Seed’s Recycling Department has deconstructed more than 160,000 mattresses and sold their components, diverting nearly 4 million cubic feet of waste from the landfill while protecting the environment. The Mustard Seed’s recycling efforts also generate income to help fund the furniture and clothing programs.
