Team Member: Juliana Daaku

When we had this vision for Mission: Hope, one of the things that we have desired for quite a long time is to have a small foodbank that could service people who "fall through the cracks" in our region; people who have lost their jobs and are not eligible for any type of assistance. My dear friend, Juliana, asked if we had anything local we were planning with Mission: Hope... and when I shared this simple idea, she was absolutely thrilled. It fit exactly with what she had on her heart! I love how God fills the gaps! Juliana is JUST the perfect person for this mission! Here's what she has to say regarding this vision!
“My name is Juliana Daaku. I am currently a special education teacher for Okeechobee County Schools. I have two boys, one and two years old and an amazing husband! I grew up in Southern California in the most loving home. I moved to Arizona to attend college. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Arizona State University and my Master’s in Special Education from Grand Canyon University. I met my husband in Arizona and we later moved to Oregon. In Oregon, we fell upon some extremely difficult times. We met a couple named Don and Mary.  They changed our lives forever because they showed us Jesus. They didn’t judge us for our mistakes; they simply loved us. It was in Oregon where my faith in God was restored and where I learned who God really is.
God led us to Florida and although Florida made no sense at all, everything lined up for us to come here. I have been praying for almost about two years that God would place on my heart a way I could serve him in the community. About a month ago, God answered that prayer. I want to meet people’s basic needs in our community. God has given me a huge vision. We are so fortunate to live in America, however, even with all the resources we have in this country, we still have a very flawed system. My first year living in Florida I worked for New Horizons Mental Health and went into my clients homes. I have seen poverty here that I did not know existed in America. I have seen children go without their basic hygiene products and families go without meals. It is very humbling to ask for a food box or for basic necessities; I have walked in those shoes. My hope for this program is that we can show people LOVE in their time of need. I have so many ideas and my heart is totally on fire for this; with that said, I will leave with this, we SERVE an awesome Lord!”