Florida Kids Are Being Left Behind—This Is Who’s Helping Them Survive
- Danika Fornear
- Sep 25
- 4 min read
Stock photo, not a real portrayal of the children in this article.
This piece is based on a firsthand account by Pastor Graham Whitaker of Mercy Works Ministries, who has been responding directly to the growing crisis described below. It also includes protected testimony from a longtime trusted community volunteer. All names and identifying details have been removed to protect vulnerable families and those assisting them.
In the shadows of Florida’s farms, trailers, and rural towns, a humanitarian emergency is unfolding—quietly and without headlines. Children—some toddlers, some barely school-aged—are being left alone when their parents or caretakers are detained without warning during immigration operations.
These children are not being abandoned. But in many cases, the people left to care for them—friends, neighbors, babysitters—are undocumented themselves. Terrified to call authorities, they instead reach out to someone they trust. Increasingly, that someone is Pastor Graham Whitaker.
“The calls started coming in one after another,” said Pastor Whitaker. “Not from parents—but from those left behind. People who were doing everything they could, scared out of their minds, and just trying to keep the kids safe.”
Whitaker, a lifelong community advocate, officially launched Mercy Works Ministries this year after spending years quietly helping families in crisis across Southwest Florida.
“They Didn’t Know What to Do. So They Called Me.”
Mercy Works isn’t a large nonprofit with offices and corporate backers. It’s a faith-rooted, grassroots response team that connects vulnerable families with emergency help—food, diapers, medicine, legal aid, gas cards, even temporary shelter.
But lately, the calls have taken a darker turn.
One longtime volunteer with Mercy Works, who asked not to be named, recounted what they found during one recent call:
“A little boy, about three. Crying in a trailer. No food, soaked diaper, just whispering, ‘¿Dónde está mi mamá?’ over and over. The babysitter was afraid to call anyone. They waited, hoping someone would come. When no one did, they reached out to us.”
“We see this over and over again. These aren’t cases of parents disappearing and leaving their kids alone. These are mothers and fathers who are taken suddenly. And the friends or neighbors trying to help—well, they’re often just as vulnerable.”
A Series of Unspoken Emergencies
“We had two little girls—6 and 8—left with a promise from their mom: ‘I’ll be right back.’ But she never came back. The girls didn’t answer the door. They were too scared. A friend noticed the house was quiet and came to check. That’s how we found them.”
In rural Florida, stories like this have become heartbreakingly common. Many of the children left behind are citizens. Most speak only Spanish. And there’s rarely a coordinated response from child welfare systems.
“There are no interpreters. No emergency plan. Most of the time, no one even knows the kids are there,” the volunteer said.
In one case, a teenage girl kept her younger siblings safe for four days before anyone knew the parents had been taken.
“I didn’t let them see me cry,” she told the volunteer. “I just didn’t want to scare them.”
“I Don’t Know Where These Families Would Turn If We Didn’t Show Up”
For Pastor Whitaker, this work isn’t new. But the stakes feel higher than ever.
“I’ve been helping struggling families for decades,” he said. “But this is different. The level of fear, the isolation, the silence—it’s haunting. People are afraid to speak, afraid to ask for help. But these children need someone to show up.”
Whitaker stresses that Mercy Works Ministries doesn’t ask for legal status, papers, or proof. They simply respond to human need.
“We don’t work alone. We’ve been partnering with groups like Unidos Immokalee, Save Our Democracy, Cultivate Abundance, and Front Porch Revolution. These are all folks doing the real, messy, life-saving work—with no red tape.”
“There Are Stories We Haven’t Shared—Because They’re Too Hard to Say Out Loud”
“We’re telling you the stories we can share,” the volunteer told us. “But there are others. So many others. Stories we haven’t even written down yet because they’re too devastating.”
There’s a baby found in a playpen, crying for hours until someone dared to step in. A 5-year-old eating dry cereal on the front stoop, waiting for a dad who never came home. Three siblings trying to make a can of beans last for days after their caregiver was taken during a traffic stop.
“I don’t know where these kids and families would be,” Whitaker said quietly, “if it weren’t for the people who step up. But we need more help. This isn’t going away.”
What You Can Do
Mercy Works Ministries and its grassroots partners are working to:
Deliver emergency aid: food, water, formula, hygiene kits
Provide legal connections and advocacy for detained families
Offer emotional support, safe drop-offs, and help connecting to long-term resources
Ensure children left behind are not lost in the system
But the need is outpacing the resources.
💸 Donations are urgently needed to continue these life-saving efforts. Mercy Works has no bureaucratic delays—every dollar goes directly to help.
To donate or get involved:
“This ministry is not just about faith—it’s about showing up,” Whitaker says. “It’s about reminding people, especially children, that they have not been forgotten.”
You can also donate to the Save Our Democracy Community Support Program, which collaborates with and donates to Mercy Works Ministries.
All names, locations, and identifying details in this article have been removed or altered to protect the families, caregivers, and volunteers involved. The people helping these children often face legal risks themselves and continue to act quietly, without protection or support.
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