Hope in Our Community: From the Desk of Our CEO
Many people use the start of the New Year as a launching pad for personal improvement. Perhaps they want to improve their physical or mental health, reduce stress or build confidence. Maybe they want to make new friends, learn new skills or feel more connected to their community. Or maybe they just want to have more fun. There is a wonderful way to accomplish all of those things and more. VOLUNTEER!
At House of Hope we have a wide range of volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups. Last year, 1,188 volunteers donated 42,172 hours of service to our organization. Some came on a weekly basis to help our food pantries, thrift stores, gardens, farm, nutrition center enrichment centers and more. Others supported us through service projects such as sorting and packing food, planting and harvesting in our gardens or farm, or gleaning local commercial farms.
Gleaning is harvesting the produce remaining after a field has been professionally picked. We glean every Saturday (weather permitting) during the winter and spring seasons in partnership with CROS Ministries. This year we have new farm partnerships that will allow us to glean even more fresh veggies. Once harvested, the produce is distributed through our four food pantries and shared with our food partners instead of being plowed back into the soil. Without volunteers, we would be unable to participate in this activity. This is a great opportunity for groups and families, as children 5 and up are welcome to participate. We often get multiple generations of families, grandparents, parents and children, who use gleaning as a great way to spend time together and make a difference for the community.
House of Hope excels at finding the right fit in our organization for individual volunteers, or developing meaningful projects for group participation. So much of our success is driven by the tremendous support of our volunteer base. Last year, we distributed nearly 1.7 million pounds of food, provided over 237,000 items to our clients such as clothing, housewares and furniture through our thrift stores, produced and packaged over 25,000 meals in our nutrition center, expanded the footprint and capacity of our Growing Hope Farm, and more. Our amazing team of dedicated volunteers had their hands in all of that.
So are you are ready to be a part of something bigger than yourself? The gifts of your time and talent will help House of Hope continue to empower residents to overcome hunger and hardship in our community. To get your volunteer journey started, please visit our website at www.hohmartin.org/volunteers or call us at (772) 286-4673 ext. 1013. Thank you for providing hope in our community.
