2023 Year in Review

Welcome to the Center of Hope's 2023 Year in Review and 2024 vision, a short journey through the defining moments of the past year and what’s planned for the upcoming year. We can not express enough thanks and gratitude to you, our supporters! Read on for glimpses of achievements, moving stories, and the impactful results made possible by you!

As we’ve continued our mission of loving and serving our neighbors who are hungry, hurting, in need, or in crisis, we’ve seen dramatic growth in the number of people seeking help. Numbers of those needing food assistance have increased over 75% in 2023 and continue to rise. As a reflection of our philosophy of preserving the dignity of those we serve and giving them the best we can, we’ve rebranded the food pantry as the Free Choice Market. The Free Choice Market is a place where guests can get the items they need but also have the freedom to choose just as they would in a grocery store.

The most apparent changes for the Center of Hope have taken place in the property as it is developed into a Community Care Complex. We are so thankful for the volunteers who have worked diligently on the property to make it a working center. Their many days of effort are producing fruit in the finished main building! With that building now completed, renovations on the first of the three houses continues.

Fully occupying the big building has changed the ministry of the Center of Hope. The increased exposure offered by being on Fenton Road frequently invites the curious and searching to stop. Of the many instances in which this has happened one in particular stands out. A retired grandfather who had recently gained custody of his three grandchildren was in his car talking to a friend on the phone. As he drove he expressed his frustration over how his grandkids were having trouble adapting to their new home and school. On top of that his fixed income was stretched beyond its limits, and outside help seemed non-existent. His friend suggested that he search for a charity organization that might help him. At that very moment he approached the Center of Hope, saw the sign and pulled in knowing nothing except that it said “hope”. After much time talking, getting advice and resource recommendations, He was taken shopping in the Free Choice Market and given food, and prayer. Most importantly this grandfather was given hope and the reassurance that he wasn’t alone. Stories like this are a weekly occurrence now.

In 2023 we were able to provide a fantastic selection of classes to our Baby Closet moms. As that program has grown we’ve noticed that those being served include more than just mothers; now we also serve dads, foster parents, grandparents and more. To more accurately reflect the broader demographics of these families, as well as increased services, we’re now using the name Center of Hope Parenting Program. Under the umbrella of the parenting program will be the Baby Closet, Classes, Mentoring, and more. 

As we begin to put to full use the finished meeting spaces of the big building we will be offering more learning and mentoring opportunities to everyone we serve! We now have spaces that will seat small groups all the way up to larger groups of 100 people. Additionally, we have screens in all of these spaces allowing us to present video when needed. Coming in 2024 there will be regularly scheduled monthly life skills and financial workshops as well as mens and womens gatherings. In addition there will be weekly classes and small groups on a variety of subjects. 

We’ve also planned more community events. In addition to the Independence Day Celebration and the incredibly successful Back to School Blast, we’ll also be hosting a concert and an annual open house for the community to learn more about what the Center of Hope is doing. The Thanksgiving Outreach and Christmas Outreach events this year were both successes and were transformed through the use of our larger building. We look forward to improving and expanding these events and more in the upcoming year as the Community Care Complex continues to be developed! Our aim is to bless not just the people we are directly serving but also our neighbors in all of the surrounding communities!

Finally, in 2024 we will begin in earnest developing the houses on the property into temporary and emergency housing for women and children. The need for this type of service in our general area is real and growing. In particular we are regularly meeting women and children fleeing domestic abuse and even human trafficking. The three dormitory style houses on the property are 8,000 square feet each and will be developed into a variety of units which will house single women and women and children for different lengths of time and with different needs. The goal is not only to provide a safe place to stay but to nourish souls, teach, counsel, and encourage. We want each person at the Center of Hope Community Care Complex to leave with the resources they need for life, prepared for success.

To make the Community Care Complex a reality there is much to do. We will be searching for an architect who can guide us through the process of reimagining the houses and determining how best to utilize them. We also hope to find individuals with the knowledge and skills to spearhead a capital campaign to raise the funds for this project. 

The growth and change that has happened at the Center of Hope in the last year has been tremendous but there is a shared feeling that things are just getting started and that 2024 will be an amazing year of transformation!

Thank you for being a vital part of the Center of Hope community!