About Us

This is the Headline

Our Mission

&

Vision

United Against Poverty was incorporated in 2003 with the vision of helping communities where every family and individual has access to basic needs, nutritional food, crisis care, education, and employment training, and where everyone has the opportunity to achieve a future filled with hope and possibilities.

Our Purpose: To empower families and individuals to lift themselves to sustainable economic self-sufficiency.

Our Mission: To serve families and individuals by providing crisis care, case management, transformative education, food and household subsidy, employment training and placement, personal empowerment training and active referrals to other collaborative social service providers.

Our work is shaped by the understanding that, together, we can create lasting change to combat life’s most difficult challenges.

Our Values

Dignity. Integrity. Respect.
Compassion. Empowerment.
Responsibility. Collaboration.
Holistic Approach.

Organizational
History

United Against Poverty Orlando was founded in 2003 with a mission of transforming lives in Central Florida by empowering people to uplift themselves and their families to break the cycle of poverty. We deliver the necessary programs and services to help move families from crisis to economic self-sufficiency.

By connecting people to life-saving tools and resources, we aim to foster an environment in which individuals and families across Central Florida have the opportunity to pursue a future filled with hope and possibility.

We are proud to have been able to serve over 14,000+ families in 2023 with life essential services. We hope to continue to inspire and empower individuals and families to lift themselves to economic self-sufficiency. Together, we can create lasting change to combat poverty in Central Florida!

Lifting

Lives

Our approach is centered on helping people help themselves; offering hope and a hand UP rather than a hand out. Today, our UP Orlando Center annually serves more than 8,453 unique households through our programs and services, with a monthly average of 450 families receiving assistance. Our center serves those whose household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Programs Designed To Empower

At United Against Poverty, we provide four essential programs crafted to strengthen community foundations and empower individuals and families to achieve economic self-sufficiency with confidence.

MSGP

Member Share Grocery Program (MSGP) is a dignified food and household assistance program where income-qualified members can personally select the food and household items their family needs, while saving up to two-thirds of their household food and product budget.

In 2024, our MSGP helped families retain $5.5 Million.

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Success Training Employment Program (STEP)  is an adult workforce training program designed to help individuals overcome barriers to employment.

Participants spend 4 weeks learning both the hard and soft skills required to help them secure living wage jobs.

Once they obtain employment, each participant is paired with a Success Coach, who continues to work with them for three years to ensure long-term success.

In 2024, STEP helped secure employment for 60 graduates.

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STEP
CSP

Crisis Stabilization Program (CSP) operates in our Life Enrichment Center, where those in crisis situations can come for the skills, resources and coaching needed to stabilize their life and work towards a permanent higher ground.

In 2024, our CSP provided 8,855 units of service assisting 1,444 unique households. 

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Collaboration is a key component of our mission. At United Against Poverty, we advocate a “more is more” approach. We believe that the more agencies we partner with and the more services and resources we can make available on-site, the more we can help those who are hidden, hungry and hurting.

We regularly make active referrals to partner agencies so that people in crisis can access the services they need to stabilize their lives. Through these partnerships, we can maximize our impact and better serve those in need in the communities we serve.

Learn More

CPS

Board & Staff

Corporate Board of Directors

United Against Poverty’s dedicated board members are committed to our goal of breaking the cycle of poverty in communities across Florida. To learn more about our board members, click the images below to read their biographies.

Dan Pugh

Dan Pugh

Board Chair; Development Cabinet

Linda Rusciano

Linda Rusciano

Board Vice Chair; Chair of Development Cabinet

Robert Boeschen

Robert Boeschen

Treasurer; Chair of Finance Committee; Chair of Operations Cabinet

Amy Patterson

Amy Patterson

Board Secretary; Development Cabinet

Don Drinkard

Don Drinkard

Finance Committee; Programs Cabinet; Development Cabinet

Joshua Gang

Joshua Gang

Nominating Governance Committee

Bernard Kastory

Bernard Kastory

Chair of Programs Cabinet; Finance Committee

John Klein

John Klein

Development Cabinet

Brandon Nobile

Brandon Nobile

Operations Cabinet

David Osgood

David Osgood

Nominating Governance Committee

Brian Rubin

Brian Rubin

Chair of Nominating Governance Committee

Victoria Thomson

Victoria Thomson

Operations Cabinet

Leadership Team

Our daily operations thrive thanks to the commitment and expertise of our dedicated United Against Poverty teams. At UAP, we believe that serving with passion is essential, but contributing to an organization that significantly impacts countless lives requires a unique individual. The exceptional support and unwavering dedication of our executive and regional staff play a pivotal role in making our mission possible.

Todd Archer

Todd Archer

Chief Operating Officer

Sean Howald

Sean Howald

Executive Director - St. Lucie

Matt Tanner

Matt Tanner

Executive Director - Indian River

Anjali Vaya

Anjali Vaya

Executive Director - Orlando

Corporate Staff

Marianne Fortin

Marianne Fortin

Director of Procurement, Logistics & POS

Jacqueline Kazimer

Jacqueline Kazimer

Director of Corporate Relations & Procurement

Jessica Mitchell

Jessica Mitchell

Director of MSGP

Michelle Matheson

Michelle Matheson

Director of Human Resources

Heath Parker

Heath Parker

Director of Operations & Safety

Cheryl Punk

Cheryl Punk

Director of Marketing & Communications

Cynthia Sweeney

Cynthia Sweeney

Director of Finance

TBD

TBD

Manager of Accounting

Charles Boden

Charles Boden

Manager of Distribution Center

Tiffany Thompson

Tiffany Thompson

Manager of Logistics

Mark Powell

Mark Powell

Manager of Maintenance

Financials

Access our financial statements and learn about how we are utilizing our resources to give back to our communities, expand reach, and increase impact.

Success Stories

We at United Against Poverty are incredibly proud of the positive impact we’ve had in our communities. Our Success Stories are a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit, and the difference that dedicated compassion, support, and outreach can make.

Read through our Success Stories to learn more about the individuals we’ve helped on their journey to self-sufficiency.

Monica found herself homeless after the passing of her mother and had nowhere to turn. Everything seemed to spiral out of control in the blink of an eye. She had nowhere to live, and was struggling to keep her car, since she was unable to pay her bills. No home, no family to turn to, and now on the brink of losing everything.  Monica was referred to the Success Training Employment Program (STEP) by a transitional housing program for the homeless and wasted no time. Upon completing our 4-week STEP program, Monica landed a full-time job, with benefits and a salary that allowed her to obtain an apartment of her own and keep her car. We are thrilled to report that Monica is now working towards a managerial position at her current job and is living completely self-sufficiently.

Julie had been out of a job for several years, due to autism. Julie was invited to an UP Orlando Success Training Employment Program (STEP) graduation ceremony, where she met several UP Orlando STEP staff who motivated her to enroll in the STEP program. The program had a powerful and profound impact on Julie. “The STEP program impacted my life in so many ways.  I learned about myself, gained confidence, learned new skills, and most importantly learned how important it is to listen. I was even named alumni ambassador! I am so excited about what my future holds”.

Natasha moved to Orlando seeking new opportunities after being diagnosed with Lupus while five months pregnant with her son, who was later diagnosed with ADHD and Autism.  Despite her efforts, she struggled to find stable employment until she joined UP Orlando’s Success Training Employment Program (STEP).  After STEP, Natasha continued to work with an UP Orlando Success Coach and has recently started working at Omaha Steaks as a Remote Sales Specialist and Brand Ambassador and is well on her way to economic self-sufficiency.