Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Miami Herald - August 20, 2005
Eric Herschthal, eherschthal@herald.com
He would see the stricken young men released from Imperial Point Medical Center in the early 1980s, their condition deteriorating, with no home to return to and no food to eat.
Collins, a Catholic priest, began feeding them with money out of his own pocket.
After Collins realized how many poor AIDS patients Broward County had, he opened a food bank and thrift store that was subsidized by government grants and local philanthropists and businesses.
His charity has since grown into the Poverello Center, a food, nutrition and fitness center for needy AIDS patients. It moved to 2292 Wilton Dr. in Wilton Manors in 1992.
After Collins moved the center to Wilton Manors, the Poverello Center continued to grow.
The center has served more than 10,000 patients, just over 3,000 in the past year alone. The center recently added nutritional and fitness guidance, with cardiovascular and weight training equipment (in addition to the existing food bank and thrift store).
Charles Midlar, 47, who recently retired on disability, joined the center at his doctor's recommendation. "I really couldn't get by with what I make on Social Security," he said
While grants and the thrift store account for a sizable portion of the center's funds, volunteers provide vital services, such as donating clothing and filling meal boxes, that keep Poverello running.
But, said staff member Andrew Eddy: "We're always looking for more."
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