PLEASANT GROVE, UTAH—OCTOBER 15, 2020—Today, the Food and Care Coalition broke ground on a new project that will help address the need for affordable housing for Utah County’s homeless. The Candlelight Villas project will include 72 new permanent supportive housing units as well as a new doTERRA service center as a place where community members can participate in community service opportunities.  

Learn more about doTERRA’s partnership with the Food & Care Coalition in this video.

“This project addresses a huge gap in our community,” said Brent Crane, executive director of Food & Care Coalition. “We are in the midst of an affordability crisis and currently there are no shelters in Utah County. This is an issue that will take all of us to address and we are grateful for the support of doTERRA and other contributors including VanCon, HomeAid, Edge Homes, Provo City and Utah County that are willing to work together to make a difference.”

Candlelight Villas will be built as a pocket neighborhood to model the community environment that clients will transition to. The neighborhood will be built around important support services including education, medical, dental, mental health services, and employment opportunities. In addition to the new housing units and doTERRA community support center, plans include patio and barbecue areas, garden boxes, and welcoming outdoor spaces.

“Self-reliance is one of the seven areas of impact that form the foundation of doTERRA’s philanthropic work,” said Missy Larsen, VP of philanthropy and community impact. “We are grateful to partner with  organizations like the Food & Care Coalition, that provide skills training and education opportunities that help set up individuals for health and success. We are most excited to serve hand-in-hand with those living onsite and in our greater community.”

In regards to the doTERRA service center, Crane noted, “I think many of the problems our clients face stem from a lack of connection. The doTERRA service center will be a space where people can participate in service opportunities, educational opportunities and self-improvement initiatives while connecting one-on-one with others. It represents the restoring of those connections and provides opportunities to serve, which offers the best measure of self-worth.”

To learn more about the Candlelight Villa project, visit https://foodandcare.org/housing-project/.

About the Food & Care Coalition

The mission of the Food & Care Coalition is to alleviate hunger and diminish the plights of poverty for those who enter our doors. Our primary objectives include finding suitable housing, teaching financial accountability, facilitating an elevation in personal morals and values, and helping each patron achieve their full potential.

We believe in the inherent worth of people and embrace the philosophy that trusting relationships between patron, staff, and volunteer are vital in realizing this end. In order to succeed, charity and compassion from the community must be met by accountability and a personal desire to learn and grow by those served. The Food & Care Coalition by design, offers daily opportunities for the community to support, influence and participate both in the policy making and operation of agency programs to meet these objectives.

This approach creates an environment where homeless men, women, and children can restore their self-esteem, retain their human dignity, and regain the power and abilities necessary to become self-sufficient and productive members of our community. To learn more, visit https://foodandcare.org/.

About doTERRA

dōTERRA® International is an integrative health and wellness company and the world leader in the Global Aromatherapy and Essential Oils market. dōTERRA sources, tests, manufactures and distributes CPTG Certified Pure Tested Grade® essential oils and essential oil products to over eight million dōTERRA Wellness Advocates and customers. Through industry leading responsible sourcing practices, dōTERRA maintains the highest levels of quality, purity and sustainability in partnership with local growers around the world through Cō-Impact Sourcing®. The dōTERRA Healing Hands Foundation®, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, offers resources and tools to global sourcing communities and charitable organizations for self-reliance, healthcare, education, sanitation, and the fight against human trafficking. Through the life-enhancing benefits of essential oils, dōTERRA is changing the world one drop, one person, one community at a time. To learn more, visit www.doterra.com.