Tag Archives: food bags

Community Grocery Giveaway Draws Crowd!

Posted on by
Reply

We had another huge turnout at our Community Grocery Giveaway on Sunday! from 2-4pm on Sunday, June 5th, the Trinity Center was bustling with guests doing a little complimentary grocery shopping.

Our Community Grocery Giveaway is a free food event to help provide grocery assistance to anyone in the community. With food prices rising and inflation taking its toll, many people are struggling to keep their pantries stocked and their families fed. Our Community Grocery Giveaway helped relieve some of the pressure for these families and individuals.

We provided a wide assortment of all sorts of non-perishable items like cereal, ramen, pasta, canned vegetables, boxed dinners, mac & cheese, beans, canned meat, and more.

We are so thankful to be able to help fight hunger in our community and make sure that no one is dealing with food insecurity. We noticed an increase in senior citizens who participated in the event due to rising prices vs their fixed income. These are definitely challenging times for many and we’re happy to be able to provide assistance.

And we’re able to help so many every month because of our wonderful group of supporters like you! Our Community Grocery Giveaways are possible because of the generous support of our friends who donate so much food each month! Not only are we able to host these grocery events every quarter but we’re serving multiple meals a day to the community and providing food bags every month to anyone in need. God continues to bless our pantry and provide us with the needed food to provide for our neighbors in need. It’s truly nothing short of a miracle how our pantry stays stocked for all the ways we help others. We thank God for everyone who has partnered with us to care for others in their time of need.

There were so many grateful people at our Community Grocery Giveaway. Your donations have helped to make a huge impact on your community – and not just in providing food but also providing hope and showing God’s love! Thank you for caring and sharing!

We also want to give a big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who gave time on Sunday afternoon to help make sure this event was so successful! Thank you so much for your kind and compassionate spirit and giving of your free time to care for the community!! We appreciate you all so much!

If you’d like to learn more about donating food and supporting our food programs then visit hagerstownhopecenter.com/pantry.

If you, or someone you know, is in need of grocery assistance please call us at 301.739.1165 to request a food bag.

Washington County Gives Starts at Midnight!

Posted on by
Reply

We’re just a few short hours away from Washington County Gives 2021!

Washington County Gives is a 24-hour day of online giving benefitting non-profits in Washington County. Starting at midnight 5/11 and lasting until 11:59pm you can donate to The Hope Center during Washington County Gives and help us raise support for our kitchen and dining room expansion project.

Giving during Washington County Gives is quick, easy and safe. Starting at midnight you can easily get to our donation page by clicking here: Give to The Hope Center | Washington County Gives

We’ll also post links from our Facebook page and from our website. If you don’t follow us on Facebook please go to http://www.facebook.com/hopecenterhagerstown or visit us online at WCG | hagerstownhopecenter

Please help us spread the word about donating during Washington County Gives by encouraging your friends, family, church, coworkers, and social media followers to join you in donating to The Hope Center.

Your gift during Washington County Gives will help us pay for our much needed construction project. Our food services expansion will more than double the previous kitchen & dining room space. This will allow us to feed more people more efficiently and give us more space in our dining room for more neighbors to have a place to eat.

Our food services are free for anyone in the community. Your gift during Washington County Gives helps us continue to feed neighbors in need and combat hunger and food insecurity in our community.

Please join others in the community and make a plan to donate to The Hope Center tomorrow during Washington County Gives!

Need Grocery Assistance? We Can Help!

Posted on by
Reply

We’re hosting another Community Grocery Giveaway on Friday, May 14th from 9am – 11am (or while supplies last). Our food giveaway is free for anyone and everyone in the community. You do not need a food bank card to participate.

We’re offering a wide selection of all sorts of non-perishable food items like canned vegetables, soups, cereal, baking mixes, mac & cheese, beans, peanut butter, jelly, boxed dinner mixes, snacks, canned fruit, and so much more! We’ll also have a selection of bread and pastries.

In addition to the food items we’ll be giving out all sorts of personal care items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, and more.

All of this is free but based on first-come-first-served. Bags will be provided but you may bring your own if you’d prefer.

The Community Grocery Giveaway will be held in the lower level of our Administrative Office building. Parking is located on our central lot located at 215 W. Church St. The Administrative Office is located across the parking lot from our Thrift Store. For guests with mobility issues please use our building entrance on 125 N. Prospect St. There’s street parking available and a ramp into the building for easy access to the event.

If you’re in need of groceries but are unable to attend our Community Grocery Giveaway then please call us at 301.739.1165 to request a food bag. We provide food bags all year long so please don’t hesitate to call and request a bag of food for yourself and your family.

For more info about our Community Grocery Giveaway or to volunteer at this event please call us at 301.739.1165 or email info@hagerstownhopecenter.com.

Another Successful Food Giveaway!

Posted on by
Reply

Our 3rd Community Grocery Giveaway was a huge success!!

We hosted the quarterly event on February 26th as a way to help anyone in the community in need of grocery assistance. While we hand out food bags to anyone in need each month, we’ve started hosting these large grocery events to help give more people access to food. This event is basically a build-your-own-food-bag type of activity. We provide the bags and then allow each person to decide the items from each table they’d like to take. This way we’re making sure people take the foods they love and want.

And at this Community Grocery Giveaway we added personal care items like soap, shampoo, lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, and hand soap.

In the 2 hours of the event we gave food to over 245 people!

Our guests so were happy and thankful for the grocery assistance. We want to thank all the individuals, families, groups, churches, and schools who’ve been donating food to our pantry. Your donations make a huge difference each and every day but they were especially beneficial at our giveaway. Your generosity not only provided important food assistance to so many people but it also provided hope and made a lot of people very happy!

An event like this couldn’t be so successful without the help and support of so many of our staff and volunteers. We want to thank everyone who helped in one way or another to make this event happen. There’s a lot of work that went into this event including moving boxes upon boxes of food. Thank you to everyone who served our community during this giveaway! We are so thankful and proud to have such wonderful staff and volunteers!!!

We’re planning on hosting another Community Grocery Giveaway in the spring. But until then, if you are in need of grocery assistance please call our office at 301.739.1165 to reserve a food bag for pickup. We will continue to offer bags of groceries each month so please do not hesitate to get a bag of food for yourself or family. Also, if you’re in need of hot meals and friendly company then please join us each day for our community meals. For more info on our daily meals please call 301.739.1165. And remember, we serve meals every day of the year including holidays and inclement weather.

If you’d like to donate food or learn more about our community food programs please call 301.739.1165 or email info@hagerstownhopecenter.com.

Give Hope… and Pancakes!

Posted on by
Reply

It’s a new month so we have a new Pantry Item of the Month!

This January we’re asking for donations of pancake mix & syrup. We’ll gladly accept any brand, flavor, or size – including bulk size – of mix & syrup.

During these cold winter months a delicious pancake breakfast for our residents & guests is always welcomed! And we’ll share these items with our neighbors in need when they come for food bags this winter season.

To donate in person please drop off items to our Administrative Office (parking lot located at 215 W. Church St) during business hours M-F from 8:15am – 4pm (office is closed 11:30am – 12:15pm for lunch). If those hours don’t work for you then please call us at 301.739.1165 or email info@hagerstownhopecenter.com to schedule a time that suits.

If you’re shopping from your favorite online retailer please use 125 N. Prospect St, Hagerstown, MD 21740 as our delivery address. And remember, when you shop at Amazon use AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) and select ‘The Hope Center at Hagerstown Rescue Mission’ as your charitable organization. Amazon will donate a portion of your order to our organization!

To learn more about our food services or to get more info about all the programs and services at The Hope Center please visit http://www.hagerstownhopecenter.com.

Thank you for caring & sharing with your community! We truly appreciate every donation from our generous supporters!

Who’s Ready for Turkey?

Posted on by
Reply

Halloween is just a week away which means the holiday season is upon us!

We’re kicking off Thanksgiving month with our second Community Grocery Giveaway! We’re opening the doors of the Trinity Center on Friday, November 13th from 9-11am (or while supplies last) for anyone in the community who needs food assistance. Our first Community Grocery Giveaway in the summer was a hit so we’re happy to give out more food to those in need in November. Reservations/tickets are not required for this event but masks must be worn. Each person will be able to choose from a wide selection of various non-perishable items and an assortment of breads and pastries. For more info please call 301.739.1165.

And with Thanksgiving just around the corner we’re happy to announce that our annual Great Hagerstown Thanksgiving Feast will take place this year! With that being said, it’s going to look a little different. We will be providing meals for carry-out and delivery this year. There will not be a service nor kids activities this year.

The menu for our feast this year will be exactly as you remember it from the past. You and your family can enjoy roast turkey, mashed potatoes, our crowd-pleasing stuffing, sweet potatoes, succotash, sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and more!

The Trinity Center doors will open at 11:30am and each person will be able to receive a delicious meal to take home. Reservations are not required for carry-out. Doors will close at 1pm or while supplies last. Please remember to wear a mask.

Delivery will begin at 11:30am also and will be for residents inside Hagerstown city limits. Delivery reservations are required. Please call our office at 301.739.1165 by November 16th to be put on our delivery list. Delivery meals will be the same menu as carry-out.

We are in need of volunteers to help again this year at our Thanksgiving feast. We need people to help serve, prepare delivery meals, and help deliver meals around the city. If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer this year please call 301.739.1165 or email info@hagerstownhopecenter.com immediately. Please help us spread the word! Thank you!

Please remember that our kitchen is open every day of the year to serve meals to anyone and everyone in the community. If you are in need of a delicious meal please join us each day. Also, if you or your family are in need of grocery assistance please call us to reserve a complimentary food bag. For more info about food bags, our daily meals, or any other programs and services at The Hope Center please call us at 301.739.1165 or email info@hagerstownhopecenter.com. To learn more about The Hope Center please visit http://www.hagerstownhopecenter.com.

Washington County Gives is Finally Here!

Posted on by
Reply

After being postponed in May due to COVID-19, we’re excited to announce that Washington County Gives is officially happening!

On Tuesday, September 22nd the internet will come alive with a 24-hour online giving event! Washington County Gives is a chance for local non-profits to raise valuable funding for the year to come.

And this is a big year for us. Not only is it our 65th anniversary but we’re also beginning a huge expansion and renovation of our food services area at The Hope Center!

Our kitchen, dining room, and pantry are all in desperate need of an update and expansion as the need to feed people in our area has grown significantly over time.

Our expanded food services area will feature a new, updated kitchen so our staff and volunteers can better prepare and serve food for a larger crowd. Our dining room will increase in size and layout to allow more people to dine and do so in a much more efficient manor. And our pantry will double in size to allow us more space to store food that is used for daily meals and our food bag program for people in need.

This expansion and renovation is a huge undertaking. And we need your help. Not only do we ask for you to give as you can to this project, we are also asking that you help us spread the word to your social media followers, friends, family, coworkers, church, civic clubs, neighbors and anyone else who will listen! The more people involved the faster we can get this project completed and paid for.

And this is where Washington County Gives is a huge benefit. We are asking you to donate during this special online giving event but also encouraging others to join you in giving. We’ll be posting on Facebook about Washington County Gives and we’re asking you to share our posts with your Facebook friends and inspire them to give as well.

Giving during WCG is simple and we’re helping to make it as easy as possible. To learn more about giving during the 24-hour event please visit https://www.hagerstownhopecenter.com/wcg

This designated page on our website will give you the quick link you need to find our giving page for donation. We’ll include links on our Facebook and other media posts to help make it easy for you and your friends to navigate and donate with ease.

Please mark your calendar for WCG on September 22nd and make a plan to help us promote our food services expansion project to the community. Together we are fighting to end hunger in Hagerstown and surrounding communities.

We’re here to provide help for today… hope for tomorrow!

April Showers… bring May’s Pantry Item of the Month!

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve successfully made it through April! With the new month comes the hope of warmer, sunnier weather and the opportunity to start getting out and experiencing our world a little more.

The new month also brings a new pantry need – BOXED DINNERS. Boxed dinners are a staple item in our food bags. From boxes of pasta salad, to Hamburger Helper, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, stuffing mixes, and more, the boxed dinner is an important part of our food bags.

Item of the Month-001

To donate please drop off at our Administrative Office during business hours (M-F 8:15 – 11:30am and 12:15-2pm). Our office closes at 2pm for visitors but we do have staff working until 4pm. To drop off between 2 – 4pm please call our office so we can be prepared. Our offices are located on our central parking lot located at 215 W. Church St. in Hagerstown.

If you’d like to order food online please use 125 N. Prospect St., Hagerstown, MD 21740 as our delivery address. And remember, when shopping at Amazon be sure to use AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) for your orders. When you shop from AmazonSmile Amazon will donate a portion of the proceeds to The Hope Center! For more info about AmazonSmile please email us at info@hagerstownhopecenter.com

Thank you to each of you for all you’ve been doing to help us help others during this pandemic. Your support and love during this has definitely helped us stay encouraged and hopeful. It’s in times like this that we truly see the best in people and we thank God for each of you.

If you or your family are in need of grocery assistance please call our office at 301.739.1165 during business hours (M-F 8:15-11:30am and 12:15-4pm) to schedule an appointment for a food bag. We are happy to help provide you with some food but we ask that you please schedule an appointment so we can make sure we have a food bag prepared. For more info on our food programs and how we can help during the COVID-19 crisis please call or email us at info@hagerstownhopecenter.com

Pasta for the Win!

Posted on by
Reply

Each month we are going to highlight an item that we need or use consistently at The Hope Center. Most items we highlight are used for food bags that we distribute to families and individuals who are in need of food assistance. Food items donated may also be used in our kitchen for one of the many daily meals served free-of-charge to our residents, overnight homeless guests, and community guests seeking a hot meal.

Whether it’s the coldest day in winter or the warmest day in summer, there’s something just perfect about a nice bowl of pasta and sauce.

Maybe it’s the comfort of the taste. Maybe it’s the bold simplicity of the meal.  Maybe it’s the ease of the process. Perhaps it’s just the happiness shared between your taste buds and your tummy. Or maybe it’s all of the above.

No matter what the reason — there’s just something wonderful about a bowl of pasta and sauce.

And that’s why spaghetti is one item on our list that is a “must have” for every food bag. It’s easy to make, is a hearty meal, and, most importantly, tastes perfect. So each food bag we distribute receives a 24 oz jar of pasta sauce and a box of spaghetti. Even if the family or individual is a novice in the kitchen, pasta is a meal that basically anyone can make.

Pasta Sauce-001

So for the month of February we are asking for donations of 24 oz jars of pasta or marinara sauce. We ask for the 24 oz size so as not to fill up too much space in a food bag so we can include other food items as well.

If you, your church, civic club, Scout troop, or business would like to donate pasta sauce please drop any jars off to our Administrative Office Mon – Fri 8:15 – 11:30am and 12:15-5pm (our office is closed daily from 11:30am – 12:15pm). If those hours do not work please contact us at 301.739.1165 or email info@hagerstownhopecenter.com to arrange a more suitable time.

Also, if you’re planning a food drive then be sure to add pasta sauce to the list of much needed items! If you need any other ideas of food items that are frequently used then please contact us so we can give you an idea list.

If you would like to learn more about our food program, or you are in need of food assistance, please go to http://www.hagerstownhopecenter.com/food-programs

Rock the Run 5K: Run For a Cause

Posted on by
Reply

As you know our annual Rock the Run 5K: Pirates vs Princess is approaching. On Saturday, April 28th, Fairgrounds Park in Hagerstown will play host to a bunch of scallywags, buccaneers, princesses, princes, mermaids, knights and all sorts of interesting folk.

RTR Pirate Princess

We’re so excited for the upcoming race and the fun changes that we’ve made to the 5K this year. But all of the changes that have been made are to give us a fun event that draws people together to run/walk for a good cause. The point of Rock the Run 5K is not just to run around Hagerstown – it’s to raise support and awareness for the community programs that we do at The Hope Center.

We’ve been using the 5K as a way to get people participating who may not actually know much about what we do for the community. And our sponsors help to underwrite the cost of the 5K so the money raised by the participants goes towards the very programs we’re promoting.

As in the past years of Rock the Run, we’ve focused on the programs and services to the hungry and homeless in Hagerstown. And we’re focusing on those same programs again this year, but now we’re taking it up a notch.

We are currently moving forward with a refurbishment and expansion project of our current dining room and kitchen/pantry. The kitchen/pantry is basically the heart of our entire ministry as so many people visit us each day of the year for fresh meals or groceries for their homes. We serve thousands of people a year from a kitchen that has seen better days. We are so thankful for the kitchen that we have because God has allowed us to feed so many. But now we see the need growing and we want to keep up with that need and be able to provide even more. By redesigning the layout and adding an expansion of the current building we will open up so much more space to accommodate more people in our dining room while also creating a kitchen workspace that allows our staff and volunteers to cook and serve more efficiently. And our pantry is going to get expanded too as it serves not only the hot meals served daily but also houses all the food that will go into food bags and boxes for needy families in the community.

So each person who registers to run/walk in our upcoming 5K is helping to create a new experience to feed and help so many more needy people in our community. The money raised here stays here. And since we take no money from the government, all of the programs and services at The Hope Center are truly a community partnership from the hearts of our generous and kind neighbors.

So why not register now to be a part of something huge! And invite your family, friends, neighbors, Sunday School class, coworkers, and anyone else to join you at Rock the Run 5K: Pirates vs Princess. And did you know you can even get your kids involved? That’s right! We have a Kids Fun Run at 8:30am just before the 5K itself. For only $5 your kid can be a part of the experience to help those in need. And we’ll have activities for them to participate in while you hit the pavement for the 5K. Just go to http://www.rocktherunhagerstown.com to register and learn more. And be sure to spread the word!