Get Involved

We invite YOU to become a part of our community through HOPE Missions. One of our desires is to share the joy we experience by developing partnerships with churches or groups to support one day per month. For some, this might look like a small team of volunteers, while others might conduct a food or clothing drive to fill our ongoing needs. Take a look at Honey’s Place for details about volunteering.

Here are some ways YOU can be a part of helping to provide HOPE to those struggling with loneliness, addictions, and/or homelessness.

Small Teams

Bring a group of 4-8 volunteers to help serve coffee and breakfast. This could be a one-time service for a group or a consistent weekly or monthly service. We love partnering with other organizations, churches, and groups to widen the circle of love.

Bus Tickets

Provide a roll of bus tickets for the City of Anderson bus system to help with transportation needs around the city. We supply 75 people with a pair of bus tickets each week based on a lottery system. The local bus runs to many establishments around the county, and while the cost isn’t much per ride, it’s actually cost-prohibitive for many of our friends.

Donate Clothing & Hygiene Products

Donate underwear, socks, clothes, shoes, or individual hygiene products. The sizes we run out of the quickest are 29-34 pants sizes and large shirts, and medium/large underwear. Travel-sized products are most useful since our guests typically have to carry everything with them.

Donations can be brought to HOPE Missions of the Upstate (Honey’s Place) at 213 S. Towers Street, Anderson, SC 29624, between 7:00 and 10:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday. We’re also happy to meet at a time when it’s convenient for you. Just contact us to make arrangements.

We maintain two wishlists on Amazon for our Urgent and Recurring needs.

Provide Food and Drinks

Donate food or drink items to be used for breakfast. On average, we serve 70+ guests each day, anywhere from 60 to 109 guests!! We consume a lot of food each week. Here’s a list we could use anytime:

• coffee, typically 3-pound cans (or larger) for drip coffee machine
• water bottles
• eggs – about 20 dozen per week
• sandwich bread – 3-4 loaves per week
• cheese slices – 100 slices per week
• fresh fruit
• granola bars/Nutri-Grain bars
• peanut butter crackers
• Jimmy Dean frozen croissants (egg/sausage/cheese)
• cereal (a favorite Friday treat!)
• milk – 3 to 4 gallons per week
• individual water flavor packets

Donations can be brought to HOPE Missions Honey’s Place at 213 S. Towers Street, Anderson, SC 29624, between 7:00 and 10:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday.

Housing

There are three primary ways we address the need for housing: Housing Navigator, partnering with agencies providing shared housing, and Warming Center.

1. Housing Navigator. Through a memorandum of agreement with Anderson Interfaith Ministries (AIM), we have a full-time Housing Navigator to assist people in finding an appropriate place to live. Beginning August 1, 2022, we began referring people to AIM’s Pivotal Support Orientation as an entry point to find attainable housing.
2. Shared Housing. The best option for many of our guests for housing is to find a place that offers shared housing. We currently have three main providers for shared housing that includes men, women, and a few spaces for couples. Through these efforts, we’re able to offer safe and secure living environments for those who cannot afford a place of their own or for whom it would not be in their best interest (e.g., transitioning from an intense addiction recovery program).
3. Warming Center. HOPE Missions is Anderson County’s Warming Center from November 1^st through March 31^st. During these potentially cold months, we provide a warm place for someone to spend the night when temperatures are forecasted to drop below 38 degrees. Anderson County has graciously provided the space, air mattresses, heating, bathrooms, etc. The American Red Cross provided cots to accommodate as many as 40 people. We are building teams of two men and two women to stay overnight, typically in shifts from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. and 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. We continue to look for more teams! Please pass the word and consider volunteering to support our efforts.

Transportation

One of the most difficult areas to support is transportation. Many of those we serve have no vehicle or have a suspended license. Anderson County is blessed with a variety of jobs. This is great, but most of these jobs are located in manufacturing facilities that are often too far to access on foot or by bicycle. Many work 2nd and 3rd shifts, which don’t align with our local bus service (6a-6p). It seems there will always be a need to give someone a ride to work. If this sounds like something you can do, please contact us!

Monetary donations can be mailed to:
HOPE Missions of the Upstate
PO Box 4326
Anderson, SC 29622