HOPE Missions Update: Serving Others
We’ve been incredibly busy these past several months! This newsletter is our attempt to provide a brief update to stay connected.
Contents
- Aaron Riley is our Homeless Services Director
- Community Backpack Drive
- Warming Center
- Thousands of Meals Served
Aaron Riley is our Homeless Services Director
We’ve been blessed to have Aaron Riley join our team as the Homeless Services Director. You’ll see Aaron most mornings at the Mission as he oversees daily operations. Aaron moved to Anderson with thoughts of pastoring a church, then landed at HOPE Missions! Please welcome Aaron when you see him!!
Better yet, contact Aaron (aaron@hopeupstate.org) to volunteer and serve! With lots of hands, the work is easy. Aaron is doing a fabulous job in organizing volunteers. Here’s the link to the interest form.
Community Backpack Drive
We’ve teamed up with several helping agencies to build 300 backpacks for those in the community we get to serve. Using our check-in system, we’ll ensure that individuals will receive one backpack each across several distribution points (LOT Project, Mercy Center, HOPE Missions, and others, as requested). Our goal is to make VERY nice gifts for those we serve while being good stewards of all we’ve been given.
Packing the backpacks will happen on Saturday, Dec 17th at the Mission beginning at 10:00 am. Please let Dave or Julie know if you can help out!
Warming Center
HOPE Missions serves as an emergency warming center for anyone needing a safe haven when cold temperatures threaten their safety or during extreme weather. During the winter (November 1st through March 31st), the Cold Weather Advisory Team reviews weather forecasts 48 hours in advance. When conditions dictate, the team determines if HOPE Missions should open overnight or very early in the morning.
We need your help!!
We need volunteers to serve all or part of an overnight shift when we’re open. The greatest need is at the beginning of the operation. For example, if we’re opening at 10:00 pm, most of the activity takes place from 9:30 – 11:30 pm. Just before opening, we set up cots, sheets, blankets, coffee, etc., to prepare for those coming in off the streets or from homes that have no heat.
Please let us know if you can help. Here’s the link to our signup form.
Thousands of Meals Served
In 2022, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people we serve at the Mission. As of December 12th, we have served 20,018 breakfasts this year! We work with The LOT Project on First Fridays to pass out shoes, coats, blankets, etc. Hundreds of items are distributed at this monthly event in addition to the hundreds of socks, pairs of underwear, gloves, and a variety of hygiene items we distribute daily. We also provide 100 free Anderson City Bus tickets per week.
Here are some commonly used foods and our typical consumption:
- Biscuits, 120 per week
- Eggs, 20 dozen per week
- Sausage Gravy, #10 cans, 4 to 6 per week
- Gwaltney Chicken Bologna 6-pounds per week
- Juices, 3 to 4 gallons per day
- Coffee, 3 to 5 pounds per day
- Sugar, 4-6 pounds per day
- Non-dairy creamer, 1-2 35oz containers per day
- Grits: instant packets – 160 per day
- Oatmeal: instant packets – 60 per day
- Butter (real or Spread): 2 pounds per day
- Jelly: 3 to 4 jars per day
- Hot sauce: 20 to 32 ounces per day
- Snacks (bars, crackers, meat sticks, etc.): 100 per day
Thanks again for all of your generous contributions to HOPE Missions! We could not do this without your financial support or the hundreds of hours of volunteer service!