Since Willie McGoogin was diagnosed with HIV in 1990, he’s been through a lot of ups and downs. Connecting with the ACE program at LSS (Advocacy, Care & Education) was a turning point for Willie. He calls LSS “a place of refuge.” On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Willie stood in the office of ACE Medical Case Management Supervisor Amy Thompson, his first case manager at LSS. They’ve been reminiscing. (L-R) Chris Schaefer, Amy Thompson, and Willie McGoogin “Amy was a champion for me,” Willie says...

Reggie Taylor Meet Reggie Taylor, our mental health therapist in the ACE program at Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida (LSS). He provides counseling to ACE program clients living with HIV. With a background in banking and mortgages, Reggie pursued a master’s degree during the pandemic to fulfill his goal of becoming a therapist. Today, he continues supporting clients at LSS through compassionate mental health counseling and care. Through the ACE program at LSS, Reggie supports...

Walking into the on-site food pantry at Lutheran Social Services last week, I noticed something troubling: our shelves looked bare. The crates that usually overflowed with donations had room to spare. At first, I wondered—was it just the end of the week? Were we waiting on our next shipment to come in? Unfortunately, that was not the case. Funding cuts to the USDA means that food pantries like ours are receiving significantly less resources than before. Still, through donations and pulling...