Press releases

Volunteers needed to 'give hope a hand'

PRESS RELEASE DATE: JAN. 15, 2009

House of Hope is seeking volunteers to help in its thrift stores, which are a vital part of the charity’s efforts to help people in their time of need.

“Volunteering in the thrift stores is a way that people can feel good about helping their neighbors in Martin County,” said Esther Brito, assistant director of House of Hope. “Volunteers are the heart of this organization, and we cannot operate without them.”

House of Hope is finding that it needs more volunteers to staff its thrift stores so that branch managers can focus on serving clients and sorting and pricing donations to maximize income. Each location is more than a thrift store: employees work with clients in need of food, clothing, case management and emergency financial assistance.

Prospective volunteers can choose from variety of times to serve at House of Hope’s four locations: Stuart, Hobe Sound, Indiantown and Jensen Beach. For more information, call (772) 286-4673 or visit www.hohmartin.org.

Some donated items to the thrift stores are given out through the agency’s Clothes Closet program, providing about 50,000 items of clothing and household necessities each year to people who otherwise would go without.

The rest is sold at the thrift stores, generating funds for House of Hope’s programs that help people struggling through hard times. The thrift stores provide about one-third of the agency’s cash income.

“During the present economic crunch, people who live paycheck-to-paycheck or on a fixed income have suddenly found themselves in crisis as prices rise, jobs dry up and businesses close or cut back hours,” said Patrick Slattery, executive director of House of Hope.

House of Hope is marking its 25th anniversary this year. Throughout its history, the Emergency Financial Assistance program has provided more than $1.4 million in bill payments to assist more than 7,500 families who otherwise would have been homeless, or without utilities or prescription medications or other critical needs.

Volunteers at House of Hope help ensure that the agency can carry out its mission of giving hope a hand in Martin County.