Local Hope is a network of the local outreach and assistance ministries of Hope Community Church. Our goal is to share the love of God in very practical ways throughout our community and neighboring locations.

By organizing our efforts around basic areas of need, we are better preparing ourselves to respond in a timely manner to immediate needs while also providing on-going assistance. Many of these ministries are Hope sponsored and lead by Hope volunteers. Other programs operate separately from Hope and Hope partners with them by offering additional volunteer assistance and/or facility space.

For more info regarding specific areas of involvement, view the following:

• Food
• Clothing
• Shelter
• Kids/Schools
• Urban Community

Food

Bumper Crop – Richard Hopkins - atthehop@nc.rr.com
The first full weekend of every month all are invited to donate non-perishable groceries, toiletries, paper goods, etc., which will be distributed to those in need in various pre-determined neighborhoods, community centers, etc. Simply bring bag(s) of items for donation, leave them behind the "bumper" of your vehicle when you attend church and volunteers will drive up and down the parking lots to collect the items during each weekend service. Following the 2nd service on Sunday the donated items will be distributed to those in need. Note: Whether parked in the main church lot, satellite parking, or the gravel lot, all donated items will be picked up from each of these parking locations the first weekend of every month.  This is a great outreach activity for your small group or family.

New Bern House Meals – Amanda Withrow – wuff2001@hotmail.com
New Bern House provides transitional housing for those in need as well as opening the dinning room the 2nd Saturday of each month to others in the community for a hot meal.  This is a great family and/or small group service opportunity.  Volunteers from Hope serve at New Bern House the 2nd Saturday of each month 10:45 am - 12:45 pm preparing and serving a mid-day meal to those in need. 

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Clothing

Clothing Swap– Julianne Smith – gdsjws@earthlink.net
Donations of clothing (infant, child, teen, adults) as well as baby and kid stuff items (toys, games, high chairs, etc.) are dropped off at HCC, sorted by volunteers and then offered free to anyone who needs them. Everyone is welcome to attend the swap free of charge and take what is needed for your family, whether you were able to donate or not. Volunteers are needed to assist with sorting and organizing donations.

Donation guidelines:

• Clean items accepted for donations include clothing and shoes for men, women, teens and children.
• Clean items should be pre-sorted into those categories.
• No baby or household items will be accepted.

Clothing Closet – Michele Woodall – michele.woodall@suntrust.com
The clothing closet is designed to provide adequate clothing to anyone in need. To contribute clothing please ensure clothing is clean and provide hangers if possible. If clothing is bagged, please separate and label clothing by gender and size.  We are continually collecting clothing.  We need volunteers to help sort and store clothing.

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Shelter

Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network (Partner Ministry)– Tim & Cindy Holmes– tholmes@fmrealty.com

WIHN is a private, non-profit agency that responds to the needs of homeless families in Wake County.  WIHN provides temporary stability to homeless families as they work toward permanent independence.  Each evening in Wake County two churches are providing shelter, meals, and transportation for up to ten families (five at each church).  Guests consist of families (married couples, couples with children, single parents and single pregnant women).  Guests are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.  They are employed or actively seeking employment when they enter the program. Each summer HCC converts the upstairs classrooms into individual family rooms to be used by our guests during their stay. WIHN guests are with us in the evening for dinner and overnight for two weeks. They return to the WIHN Day Center in the early morning. To make our WIHN families comfortable we need a lot of help from individuals, families and small groups to prepare meals, visit with families in the evenings, stay overnight, assist with transportation using the WIHN 15 passenger van, and to assist with setting up and breaking down living and eating areas.

Hope on the Homefront –Dan Courtine – courtineaccounts@nc.rr.com

As volunteer resources become available Hope on the Homefront works with the elderly, disabled, disadvantaged, military families, single parent families and not-for-profit organizations. HoH works to provide home repair, housekeeping, and lawn/garden services to those who don't have the physical ability to safely complete the jobs and to single parents and military spouses who have limited time for these tasks because of other family responsibilities. Volunteers are needed to lead the home repair team and to complete minor repairs under the direction of a qualified leader, to lead the home maintenance team, perform routine housekeeping, mow lawns, maintain/clean fences, house exteriors, gardens, etc.

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Kids/Schools

Dillard Drive Adopt-A-School Ministry – Kris Pelt – krispelt@bellsouth.net
Dillard Drive Elementary school is located within a few miles of the church near Crossroads Shopping Center in Cary.  A large percentage of the children attending the school live in homes near or below the poverty level and many of the children’s parents/guardians are unavailable to help out at the school.  Seven committees have been established to help meet the needs of the children at the school:

• Media Moguls (book fair, media center, etc);
• Academic Allies (tutoring, story time, etc);
• Bits and Pieces (lunch monitoring, making copies, material prep for teachers, etc);
• Ground Gurus (playground and outdoor areas);
• Counselor Connectors (mentors, career day, etc);
• Cent Savers (school supplies, classroom supplies, etc); and
• Talents and Treasures (art, PE, and music).

Buddy Ministry – Dena Haugley – denahmail@yahoo.com
Camp Buddies (spring)– Bookbag Buddies (summer) – Boot Buddies (fall)
Here's a great opportunity to provide needed school supplies, camp supplies and cold weather gear to the under-privileged children of Wake County. During specified weekends three different times each year, tags with a child's name, gender, age and list of supplies are made available for pick up at a ministry counter. Simply choose a tag(s), purchase a bookbag with needed materials, camp supplies or boots & gloves then return the items, which will then be distributed by volunteers to children in need.  To date Hope provides assistance to an average of more than 400 children during each event.

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Urban Community

Ship of Zion Partnership – Aleece Spalding – ahspalding@earthlink.net. This ministry is a partnership with the Ship of Zion Church to minister to the elderly and those in need. Meet the 2nd Saturday of each month in the Hope parking lot for a 9:00 am car pool departure. Many different ways to serve. Everything from loading groceries or serving lunch to praying together. This is a great opportunity to reach out into the community and build relationships.