Review #900 comes in the form of admiration for the Ronald McDonald House in Jacksonville. I…read morerecently toured the facility for the first time and still have goosebumps from my experience. This non profit charity does not receive any federal or government grants or funding. Contrary to popular belief, it's a completely donation-based organization, which is absolutely stunning, since they currently house 53 families free of charge. Patients and their families come from all around the world to seek medical attention in Jacksonville. When I toured the house, they spoke enthusiastically of a family who recently crossed the pond from Ireland. People might not be talking about this enough, but Jacksonville is home to state-of-the-art medical care. The house is beautiful. There's a courtyard, a full-service kitchen (larger than some restaurants), a pantry, a movie room, a play room, a prayer room, a class room, a covered parking garage, a gorgeous rooftop garden and so much more. On top of that, each employee I've worked with or met in passing has a passion so evident it's contagious. I have to admit there were times during the tour I found myself getting choked up. The mission is clear and they are truly changing lives by providing lodging, food and transportation better than most hotel accommodations. Add to the mix, families at their most stressful only emphasizes the Lord's work they're doing. Love, love, love! I encourage anyone to donate or give back to the Ronald McDonald House.

Recently my company volunteered at the Sulzbacher Center to prepare and serve lunch to those in…read moreneed. And believe me, there are a lot of people in need at this center; from homeless living on the streets of downtown Jacksonville to the few residents that live at the Sulzbacher. It is not a pretty sight at all, so we who are fortunate enough should give our time and effort to help these people. We can change lives! The kitchen at the Sulzbacher is small, but has everything you would find in a professional restaurant kitchen. The food that local businesses and individuals donate is what the staff here has to work with. So it's also important that they receive donations to help keep the center open. I will say if volunteering at Sulzbacher parking can be a real nightmare, like every other place downtown. So you'll probably have to park on Catherine St like we did. Remember love your neighbor no matter what!

Sulzbacher is a wonderful non-profit serving the most needy in our community. Please consider…read moredonating to keep their kitchen stocked and their extraordinary services for the homeless ongoing well into the future.

Shoutout to our local community heroes!! I had the honor of meeting a few awesome volunteers like…read moreWalter, Shelly, Eli, and Mack. This faithful group may fluctuate of volunteers, food availability, and people in need... but the Love is a constant!!! The lines start early and the set up starts even earlier. This team is run like a well-oiled machine and are efficient, effective, and willing to share Love with their acts of service. Food is organized for the purpose of providing for the appropriate amount of food for the appropriate amount of people. The food comes from a lot of different sources, but with the same heart of Love and Hope. There is a group of volunteers that also like to help out by providing prayer support to the individual cars as they are awaiting their turn in the drive thru line. May God bless all that are involved and may this be a Lighthouse to the community!!

Every visit is a fun filled thrift adventure! Staff is courteous, friendly and professional. The…read moreinterior is quite large and holds many great finds from children's, Womens and men's wear and more! 50% off SALE - EVERYDAY! Some of my favorite items are the men's shirts and music collection. Picked up if not brand new, gently worn clothing and great albums/cd's of some of my cherished music. Lots of parking on the property and a restroom for customers only located inside. Can't wait for my next visit to see what other wonderful items to purchase and help support this great nonprofit organization.

Great selections. Vibrant place to visit. Many local crafts and artist plus 20+ food trucks.read more

My sister first brought me to the Riverside Arts Market years ago. It has now become something we…read moreenjoy regularly on my visits to Jacksonville. It's a family friendly environment and has something for all ages. My son who is now 13 has been coming since he was younger and still loves it. My sister and I enjoy walking around and seeing what vendors are there and what all there is to offer. On some occasions our dad comes as well, it's really great for all ages. There are plenty of food options, so it's easy to grab a snack or a meal as you wander around. There are a lot of unique vendors that sell fresh bakery items, local produce, gourmet hot sauces, arts and crafts and so much more. The vendors tend to change as well so there seems to be something new to find every visit. Parking is close by and we've never had an issue. I prefer to visit on cooler days as the heat can be pretty miserable even in the shade in the summer.

This is a great place for a group, teambuilding event to help the less fortunate in the…read moreJacksonville area. I came here with my employer to volunteer as a group. There were roughly 60 of us, and we packed 1000 boxes of food. That only took about an hour, so we were also given a tour of this impressive facility, which helps other local organizations and serves a part of the local emergency services. I came away feeling good about my employer for organizing the event and donating to a good cause.

It's always a pleasure volunteering at Feeding Northeast Florida!…read more Feeding NE FL helps feed a lot of unfortunate citizens in Jacksonville and the surrounding area through generosity of local businesses and individuals who donate food, household supplies, and financial contributions. FNEF depends on volunteers for sorting & packing in their warehouse and handing out food at their mobile food pantry. Through my company I have had the opportunity to volunteer at both the warehouse and mobile pantry. Each time has been a great experience. The staff at FNEF are super at coordinating these volunteer event.

Second Harvest no longer exists in NE Florida as of 2014. Farm Share, another food bank, is now…read moreesatblished at the same site.

Working with the Kitten Foster Army is a joy! The staff makes it easy to foster fail, or just enjoy…read morea few weeks with a sweet new kitten before they reach their forever homes. Scheduling is generally easy, though weekend clinics can get busy. We appreciate the service the Humane Society provides to our community.

You should absolutely go here to rescue the animals from THEM…read more We adopted a cat 2 months ago and she is the best cat ever. However they told us she had been spayed 2 days prior and she was cleared for adoption. Thinking they're the experts, we rolled with it. Not 2 days pass and we notice our kitten is shaking with fever, not eating, and meowing constantly. Then she threw up. We tried to take her to the Humane Society to seek help and was turned away by the employee working the desk because THEY DONT HAVE VETS. We took her to Petfolk who has an incredible staff and we still go there to this day. They helped us without an appointment and noted a 104 fever, dehydration and swelling in her abdomen. We were not given ANY information from the "humane" society on what to look for in case of infection from procedures or other illnesses. Their entire philosophy revolves around once you sign for them, the animal is no longer their problem. They do not care about the health of your pet once they have left the building. I am so disappointed with our experience. The only solace i have is that now our kitten is healthy and doing so well. Hire some real vets so your new pet parents have a place to go when (not IF but WHEN) something happens to your new pet 2 days after you adopt them and you dont have a vet yet. Our first week with our kitten was traumatizing, infuriating, and so frustrating as we tried to seek medical help for her. I feel so terribly for the reviewer from 4 months ago who had an almost identical situation, but had to surrender their cat due to medical bills to be potentially euthanized. If you're going to adopt a kitten, you should in order to save its life from the "vets" that work here. These people are absolute monsters.

amazing experience. i enjoy everything they do. i appreciate groups like this stepping up in my…read morecommunity.

Steffani Fletcher is the Founder and Executive Director of Hope At Hand. She and her organization…read moredo wonderful things for the young adults of Northeast Florida through their incredible poetry/art therapy programs. They also run the Blackout Poetry Workshops at downtown Chamblin's Uptown Bookshop which is lots of fun (well, it's been on hiatus during the pandemic, but hopefully will be back in 2021 at some point). I have known Steffani for several years now and she supports the poetry group I am involved with, North Florida Poetry Hub. We just love how committed she is to her mission of helping people. This is a great organization! their website is: www.hopeathand.org