TAMPA, Fla. — Hounds for Hope was founded by Norah Mohorter and her husband several years ago when they wanted their annual Christmas party to have a purpose.
The pair initially started by encouraging their guests to bring donations for the Humane Society. But it then grew when Norah’s husband decided one year to see if families wanted the live Christmas trees they had in their front yard. The response on Facebook was overwhelming!
Now the non-profit provides complete Christmas tree packages, including lights, ornaments and stands to families in our community, no questions asked.
"Just hearing the kids when we drop off the trees and ornaments, they get so excited. And so, it's really worth it,” said Norah.
"We want them to feel like they got the Christmas that they wanted. So, we kind of tailor to what they need,” said Chelsea Sheets, chief operating officer for Hounds for Hope.
"It is just watching those kids, when you walk into their house, be so excited to rummage through the bags. It is just the most heartwarming thing you could ever do," said Sheets.
So far this year, Hounds for Hope has already provided 46 Christmas trees, with more requests coming in daily. Plus, for Thanksgiving, they provided 84 families with meals.
"It made all the hard days worth it"
In 2024, Tampa Bay 28 Anchor Lauren St. Germain brought viewers the story of a young mom here in Florida who was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer. Now, Lauren is following through and giving an update on her experimental cell vaccine therapy.
