Hearts were touched at an impressive Valentine Ball to benefit United Against Poverty of Indian River County, with guests giving generously to support initiatives aimed at lifting individuals and families from poverty to self-sufficiency.
Elegant guests perused the bountiful silent-auction items during a cocktail hour, before sitting at tables enhanced by gorgeous red-rose centerpieces, where they were welcomed by Pam Harmon, a longtime UP advisory board member.
“The theme of the Valentine Ball has always been love and romance, and this year the gala committee is just thrilled to introduce a very beautiful, immensely talented, Grammy Award-winning soprano, who will regale us with her favorite Broadway love songs,” said Harmon, introducing opera and concert soloist Lisa Eden, and pianist Jacob Craig, music and arts director at First Presbyterian Church, who delighted everyone with their performance.
Matt Tanner, UP executive director, said many guests had been part of the journey from the start, including founder Ginny Hunt, who co-chaired the event with Margaret Wall.
“Our mission has grown to continue to meet the needs of our community; food insecurity, crisis stabilization, workforce development, education and collaborative partner services,” said Tanner.
At its core, he said, the mission has been to invest in people willing to invest in themselves; to help them make a difference in their lives and break the cycle of poverty.
A brief video highlighted one such person, Maranda Lewis, who Tanner said had “completely captured our hearts.”
Having faced poverty and insecurity, Lewis was determined to make a change after becoming pregnant, and enrolled in the Success Training Employment Program (STEP).
She graduated in 2024 from the three-phase program, which provides job training, career connection and success coaching, and found an employer willing to hire her despite her pregnancy.
“On my graduation day, I was overwhelmed with emotions,” said Lewis, grateful to everyone who supported her in this new chapter of her life. She began a job as a CNA, moved into an apartment, and expects to graduate from school in November 2026 as an LPN.
“When you support a program like this, you aren’t just giving resources, you’re giving people confidence. You’re telling someone that you think they can do something extraordinary. And for many of us, this is the first time that we’ve heard that. Your generosity didn’t just open doors for us, it keeps them open long enough for us to walk through, stumble a little bit, and eventually find our footing. This program didn’t just change the direction of my life, it changed the way that I saw myself,” said Lewis, before she and her adorable daughter, Marhavia, appeared in person to thank everyone.
“I hope the program can continue to change lives, just like you have been doing before me and will continue to do after me,” said Lewis, as Marhavia sweetly waved.
Barbara Lowry, who Tanner called UP’s “single greatest cheerleader,” said the nonprofit was initially founded as Harvest Food and Outreach to provide hard-working, low-income families a way to provide food for their families without going to a food bank or food pantry.
“We wanted them to have dignity,” said Lowry, adding that individuals and their children personally select items, just as in a regular grocery store, but at one-third the price.
“But the leadership knew that was only helping to treat the symptoms of poverty. It wasn’t lifting people out of poverty. So they developed a system, just as Maranda described, to enable people to be the best that they can be,” said Lowry, before leading a well-received call to the heart.
In 2025, the organization supported more than 17,000 households experiencing food insecurity, and assisted 130 adults to find employment. Its Crisis Stabilization program served 2,420 households and they helped move nearly 80 families into housing. In times of crisis, UP has served as the community’s Multi-Agency Resource Center, and they distributed hundreds of grocery vouchers to SNAP-dependent households during the government shut-down.
For more information, visit UnitedAgainstPoverty.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
