Help And Hope Next Door In The Purple Building

There’s a moment in every community where someone quietly realizes they can’t do it alone and what happens next depends on whether real help is close by. We’re joined by Dr. April Glasco of Second Chance Last Opportunity, a Sarasota nonprofit that has spent more than 30 years turning urgent needs into a starting point for long-term stability. Her message is simple and powerful: give hope first, then provide help. 

We walk through the programs that meet families where they are, including the food support that offers emergency food and a choice-based warehouse pickup, plus baby essentials like diapers and clothing. We also talk about empowerment classes for women and men, youth support, and community events that remind people they’re seen. Along the way, Dr. Glasco challenges common misconceptions about people who ask for assistance and explains why you can’t put every hardship into the same box. 

You’ll also hear how consistency builds trust across generations, why funders notice organizations that keep showing up, and how Dr. Glasco extends encouragement through her Podcast. If you’re searching for Sarasota nonprofit resources, a local food pantry, baby supplies assistance, or meaningful ways to support your neighbors, this conversation points you to a place with a “small building and a big heart” in the purple building. Subscribe, share with a friend in Sarasota, and leave a review with one way you’ve seen community show up when it mattered.

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Virginia McConnell.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast Live. Are you in need of a nonprofit that helps our community? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Dr. April Glasgow, with Second Chance Last Opportunity. How's it going?

SPEAKER_01 0:28

It's very good. Very good.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

A wonderful day today. Yes, good, good. We're excited to learn about you and um yeah, second chance, last opportunity. Can you tell us more?

Second Chance Programs And Services

SPEAKER_02 0:41

Thank you. Can you tell us a little bit more about the nonprofit?

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Yeah, second chance last opportunity been around uh for many years. We just celebrated April 17th, um, another year. It's been over 30 years. And what we do is provide life management skills for individuals and their families as well as meet them at the emergency needs. So we have the SMILES program where they can get um emergency food on Mondays and on Thursdays, they can walk to the warehouse and get the food of their choice. Um, then we have the buckles of joy where they can get free campers as well as free clothing for their babies. Uh, we have coming up uh Wednesday, it's Mother's Day for the moms. So that's exciting from two to four. Um we have the Empowerment Class for Women as well as for men, an out-of-the-box program for youth. Is meeting individuals at their immediate need is so important because you never know what a person is facing and the challenges that they have going on in their lives. You know, a person can walk up to you and say, I'm doing good, but at the same time, you don't they don't feel well at all. They just feel that they're in this box they can't get out of.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

Yeah, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Helps out with these individuals.

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Yeah, it sounds like you guys do a lot.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Yeah, yeah. We we do a lot, but we reach the families that have been pre-registered, so they're familiar with the um organization and they know they get a welcome welcome package and it explains all the programs that they need.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

Oh, that's amazing.

Misconceptions About People Seeking Help

SPEAKER_02 2:29

How did you get into this?

SPEAKER_01 2:31

I started this organization uh when I start at the age of 23. At the age of 23.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

Oh my gosh! That's awesome. Um, okay, and so what are some myths or misconceptions that you hear about individuals and families in the community or the organizations that um when they go to, they're looking for help for all individuals that are looking for help.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

But one thing that we have to all all keep in mind is that everyone has a different walk in life. Everyone's not the same, so you can't put them in the same category as a person that's just been abused versus another person that just um lost their um dad that uh passed away with some uh a situation that they've been he'd been having for a long time but wasn't able to get get insurance or or go to the um the doctor. It's so many, so many individuals that come through the door is looking for hope and they're looking for uh help. Hope and help. So when we keep them at their immediate need, we give them hope first, then we assist them with the help.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

I love that. Um, and then well, we all know that you know you have to attract donations, you have to let people in the community know that you

How Consistency Brings Donations

SPEAKER_02 4:10

exist. Um, how do you do that?

SPEAKER_01 4:12

How do you Well being here for so long in the community that um we are consistent at what we do? So it's being who we are, serving the people that needs to be served, and learn that funding will come to meet their immediate need. That's all we have. Yeah, so that's that's what attracts funders to find us because we've been here many years and we do what we do, the same programs offered to the same residents that wants to change, then those residents have families, and they have children, and then and they continue on. I have met the mom, the children have grown up generations after generations have come through. Someone told someone told them, and they said this is where you can get help. There's help in the purple building. We may be a small building, but yet we have a big heart.

SPEAKER_02 5:27

Yeah.

The Lets Talk Podcast And Mindset

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Okay, and um, have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?

SPEAKER_01 5:33

I do have my own podcast. You do about it. Well, it's called Let's Talk Podcast, and we talk about anything to help those individuals that need to hear a good word to move them forward in the morning at nine o'clock and move them forward again at one o'clock in the afternoon. It gives them that confidence to know that they can do it, regardless of what they go through. It's through that, it's through our empowerment classes that we offer to the women. Some have to work, some unable to come to attend, so they listen to the podcast. It helps them out to find a better way of doing something that they never thought they could do.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

Oh, I love that so much. Mindset, I mean, mindset's huge, so big. Yeah, yeah. And outside of work, um, what do you do for fun?

SPEAKER_01 6:27

I love to sing, I love to exercise and walk, and I love my orchids. I have beautiful orchids.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

All right. Um,

How To Help And Get Involved

SPEAKER_02 6:39

okay, Dr. Glasgow, can you please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about second chance lost opportunity?

SPEAKER_01 6:47

Always remember that you're not the only one, and there's someone always looking for a second chance, and everyone deserves a second chance. But keep a smile on your face because you never know that may be the next person that you have helped to put a spark in their eyes to realize that there's help and hope right next door.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

In the purple building.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

In the purple building.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

Oh, okay. So, how can our uh listeners learn more about second chance last opportunity?

SPEAKER_01 7:25

Well, if you go on our website, um second chance, last opportunity.org, and then the Facebook page of Second Chance Last Opportunity, and um you're welcome to call 941-360-8660. And I also wanted to mention that this May 9th, it's Saturday, we will be partnering with the United States Postal Service for the food drive. Oh, in Sarasota County comes the second chance, last opportunity. And then we're not only just doing food, canned goods, pasta, or soup. We have baby wipes, baby pamphers, baby clothes. So you're gonna put a bonus in there for second chance, last opportunity.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

That's wonderful. Oh my gosh. Okay, yeah. Oh no. Dr. Glasgow, thank you so much. I really appreciate you being on the show, and we wish you and um your nonprofit the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Thank you so much. Greatly appreciate it, and thank you for having me on your podcast. I really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show. Go to gnpsarasota.com. That's gmpsarasota.com or call 549 1865.