In November of 2019, Stanley (Stan) Dalencour was just an average man with a normal job. Leaving work at a pharmacy one day around 10 p.m, Stan came across a homeless man waiting outside. The man had not had any food all day and was clearly in need of some nourishment. Stan did what was obvious to him and brought the man food. This interaction sparked an idea in Stan’s mind. He realized the need of the homeless people in Fort Lauderdale and wanted to do what he could to help. He started out by himself by bringing food around to the homeless in his community.
What started out as one man has turned into a much larger project that feeds hundreds of people each week. Pine Crest student Daniel O’Sullivan, ‘23 is one of the volunteers that has been working with Stan since the beginning.
“I ran into Stan in the pharmacy one day and he told me about this project he was working on…I’ve been coming ever since.”
Daniel has been a tremendous part of expanding Stan The Helper and said that “It is important to acknowledge the privileged environment I am in and do what I can to give back to the community.”
He shared that volunteering with Stan exposes him to things that he would otherwise be blind to and allows him to make a difference on a personal level. Each week he brings food, snacks, drinks, or hygiene products and works with the other volunteers to make sure those who stop by are taken care of.
“I see a lot of the same people each week and have become well acquainted with many of them,” Daniel O’Sullivan said.
Each week, Stan and his team bring hot meals to downtown Fort Lauderdale and stay until every last bite is gone.
“I have a ton of sponsors that donate food and If on a given day I don’t have a sponsor, I’ll go out of pocket because I know the people are counting on me,” Stan said.
It was truly heartwarming to see first hand the impact that Stan and his team have on the community. One woman mentioned that the meal from Stan was her first in two days. Stan and his team are continuing to grow their charity and do amazing things for the community one meal at a time.
Volunteer Shaquille Harris, a member of the community and Stan’s cousin, has been involved since the beginning and said he does it because, “It’s a good feeling…Seeing the smile on their faces, it’s a blessing.”

For more information on how to get involved, contact [email protected].