Photo courtesy of Amanda Schumacher
When the pandemic struck, Amanda Schumacher found a new way to continue her lifelong mission of giving back — this time by helping those in need right in her own Central Palm Beach County community.
In 2020, as some employees at Schumacher Automotive Group were furloughed, Schumacher, vice president of the West Palm Beach–based company, wanted to ensure her team and their families were cared for.
“I was so grateful for the blessings in my life that I felt called to share that same love and kindness with others,” says Schumacher, 66.
Schumacher had already been deeply involved in philanthropy. In 2006, she founded Tree of Life Foundation International, Inc., a West Palm Beach–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advocates on behalf of marginalized communities worldwide. Building on that work, she opened the Tree of Life Resource Center in the Tree of Life Plaza in 2020 to provide food and other essentials to those furloughed employees and their families.
As the pandemic continued, Schumacher realized the need extended far beyond her company. The Resource Center soon opened its doors to the broader community, hosting monthly food distribution events at Palm Beach Outlets for two years. Through a partnership with Farm Share, her nonprofit provided nutritious food to about 500 families each month.
“The Resource Center is one branch of our work,” Schumacher says, explaining that the foundation’s 22-branch network addresses everything from addiction to human rights to logistics.
While the foundation connects gifts, talents and resources from individuals and organizations around the world to communities in countries such as Brazil, Congo, Guyana, Haiti, India and Sudan, the Resource Center focuses on local aid. Since its creation, the Resource Center has grown into a 5,000-square-foot warehouse and office space that offers assistance with food and clothing, medical and education needs and other resources. It partners with area companies and organizations, including AVDA Palm Beach and Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
“Each partner, in addition to Schumacher Automotive Group’s generous financial support, which plays a vital role in sustaining our operations, brings unique resources — whether that’s food, funding, services or volunteers — that help us address needs more quickly, more effectively and more sustainably,” Schumacher says.
For more information, call 561-656-5601 or visit treeofliferesourcecenter.org.