Thanksgiving Happiness Delivered

Posted on December 2, 2020 by hopecenterhagerstown

Thanksgiving 2020 is in the books… and is one for the books!

Our tradition of hosting a large group celebration in the Trinity Center was thwarted this year by COVID-19. We had originally planned to provide meals to-go and delivery but with the quick increase in cases in the area and a few positive cases at The Hope Center we decided to provide delivery only as an option for our Great Hagerstown Thanksgiving Feast.

Since we’ve never done delivery as an option we were basically working the unknown. But once the delivery reservation date came and went we were better able to see how it would all go down.

Our volunteers started trickling in the week of Thanksgiving to start preparing some of the foods for the delivery feast. From Dorcas creating the delicious stuffing, to Becky roasting all the turkeys (19 in total), to Laurel, Melanie, and Keith taking the meat off the bones, our pre-Thanksgiving crew worked hard to make sure our feast was ready for the big day. Then came the arrival of all the pies provided by Germantown Church of God and delivered by our wonderful friends, Mark & Sue Hosler.

Then bright and early on Thanksgiving – actually earlier than the sun – staff and volunteers descended on the kitchen to start preparing all the different elements for our feast. From Michelle and Melanie making the sweet potatoes and Doug carving the turkey breast, our kitchen came to life like it would on any Thanksgiving Day. Our faithful friend, Amanda, showed up like she does every Thanksgiving to help all over the kitchen, and good friends of The Hope Center Sue & Dan Thornton arrived to provide a huge help to the day. And then our mashed potato man, Larry, dropped by to make sure we provided the best mashed potatoes as he does every Thanksgiving.

Once the pies were cut, the cranberry sauce in individualized containers, and all the food prepared, our dining room became a food delivery factory! We had volunteers dipping the food, volunteers filling delivery boxes, and volunteers driving the food all over the Hagerstown area for our community friends to enjoy!

It was a long day but it was a huge success! While we absolutely missed seeing all our volunteers, guests, family, and friends, we are still so happy we were able to continue the tradition of providing Thanksgiving for our community! We’ve been providing this Thanksgiving Feast since the very beginning when the Rescue Mission was founded by Jim & Ellen Resh all the way back in 1955. Coronavirus may have caused a few hiccups but it didn’t keep us from being able to celebrate all the blessings God has provided during this unconventional year.

And speaking of God’s blessings – what a year of blessings it’s been! God has provided for us repeatedly this year in so many awesome ways!! And this Thanksgiving celebration was just another visible way of God showing His faithfulness to our ministry. Every time things looked more difficult than we expected, God sent someone or something to give us hope. Our volunteers on Thanksgiving were absolutely amazing. From Sue Thornton working her magic in the kitchen to all the food servers filling the delivery orders, to all of our happy drivers who dropped off meals to families and came back to deliver more! In the midst of this challenging year God has continually showed up for this ministry and provided in miraculous ways.

We hope each of you had a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving this year! And while we enjoyed seeing our delivery feast make everyone happy we can’t wait to host everyone in person next year!

Thanks to all of our donors, volunteers, and staff for going above and beyond for our unprecedented Great Hagerstown Thanksgiving Feast! We honestly thank God for each and every one of you who helped to make it a success. Thank you so much!!

We’ve REOPENED… Again!

Posted on November 20, 2020 by hopecenterhagerstown

Our Hagerstown Thrift Store and Donation Center were briefly shut down due to COVID-19 but we’re happy to announce that both are open and operating on normal schedule!

And to celebrate the reopening, our Hagerstown Thrift Store is having a DOUBLE SALE! From now through November 25th enjoy 50% OFF WOMEN’S CLOTHING and JEWELRY! This is an incredible sale that’s perfect for that special someone on your Christmas list. And with new merch hitting the shelves daily you never know what interesting item you might find each visit.

Our Hagerstown Thrift Store is open M-Sat from 9am – 4:30pm. The current sale is only good through Wednesday, November 25th so don’t wait too long to take advantage of these great sales! For more info about our sales or Thrift Store please call 301.739.1114.

Our Donation Center has reopened too! We’re happy to accept your gently used items. Our Donation Center hours are M-Sat from 9am – 4pm. For a list of items we accept/cannont accept please visit https://www.hagerstownhopecenter.com/in-kind-gifts

Please note that our Thrift Stores (Hagerstown & Chambersburg) and our Donation Center will be closed on Thanksgiving, Thursday November 26th.

If you or anyone you know would like a free Thanksgiving meal delivered please call us at 301.739.1165 by noon on Monday, November 23rd to reserve a delivery!

Thanksgiving Day Update

Posted on November 14, 2020 by hopecenterhagerstown

As Thanksgiving Day quickly approaches we’ve had to make a tough decision. Unfortunately with everything that’s currently happening with the rise of Covid-19 cases we’ve decided to serve delivery meals for Thanksgiving only.

We had originally planned on providing carry-out meals along with delivery but for the safety of our staff, volunteers, and guests we’ve chosen to only provide delivery meals to the Hagerstown area. Meals will be delivered between 11:30am – 1pm on Thanksgiving Day.

The delivery meals will provide all the same delicious items that we’d serve carry-out orders. From roast turkey, to our delicious stuffing, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, succotash, sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, fruit cocktail, and pie, each delivery meal will be packed full of amazing Thanksgiving goodness.

Reservations for delivery meals are required. To reserve a delivery meal for yourself and anuyone in your household please call 301.739.1165 by noon on Monday, November 23rd.

Our Thanksgiving Feast is free for anyone and everyone in the Hagerstown area. Call to reserve your meal and then share this with everyone you know!

We will also host our daily Soup Line on Thanksgiving. Soup Line doors will open at 12:45pm and close promptly at 1:15pm. Soup Line meets each day in the Trinity Center (215 W. Church St). MASKS MUST BE WORN and SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES ARE ENFORCED. Seating is limited for Soup Line due to social distancing regulations.

To place your delivery order or for more info please call 301.739.1165.

Who’s Ready for Turkey?

Posted on October 21, 2020 by hopecenterhagerstown

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.

“The Best Gravy You’ve Ever Had!”

Posted on December 4, 2019 by hopecenterhagerstown

Another year hosting our Great Hagerstown Thanksgiving Feast is in the books!

Our annual holiday celebration, which is one of the oldest and longest continually running community Thanksgiving meal in the city, was another success as people from all over the area joined us to volunteer or enjoy the feast as guests.

Our kitchen was busy days before the feast preparing various dishes for the buffet including the roast turkey and our famous (and delicious) stuffing.

But as the sun rose on Thanksgiving our kitchen crew knew exactly what to do: prepare the best Thanksgiving buffet in town!

And they sure did! The feast this year was absolutely delicious. From the amazing stuffing made by Dorcas Black to the “best gravy you’ve ever had” by Diane Ellis, our guests, staff and volunteers sure did have a great spread to enjoy on Thanksgiving.

But before the meal was served , our guests were treated to a great message by Matt Sargent who was the former director of our Foundations Life Recovery program. Matt had a little fun with the crowd by presenting them with a plated preview of the Thanksgiving feast which turned out to be the meal Snoopy served to Charlie Brown. But then he came clean and presented everyone with an actual plate of the delicious food they were about to enjoy. He brought it all together to remind each of us that God has great things for our lives and that we shouldn’t just settle for the “Snoopy meal” of life when God is busy working to provide us with an amazing “Thanksgiving feast” in life.

Once the message was concluded and the meal was prayed over, our guests were eager to hit up the buffet line! Everyone enjoyed all the wonderful food and most had no problem going back for seconds.

We are so thankful for all of our volunteers and staff who helped to make this Thanksgiving successful. There are so many people who work behind the scenes in preparation to the feast, and so many wonderful volunteers who give up their holiday to serve others. We are beyond grateful for everyone who played a role in our Great Hagerstown Thanksgiving Feast. There are many names we’d like to mention – but more on that at a later time.

Our Great Hagerstown Thanksgiving Feast is a chance for us to celebrate all that we’ve been given throughout the year and to come together to give thanks to God for His continued blessings and faithfulness in our lives and at The Hope Center.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to come together to collectively give thanks to our great God. But we are always in a spirit of gratitude to God for all He does at The Hope Center throughout the year. From the men in our Foundations Life Recovery program whose lives have been changed and freed from the dangerous addictions and abuses that have caused so much physical, emotional, and spiritual pain, to the families who receive clothing assistance, to the kids who are learning and growing spiritually at Wildside Youth, to being able to provide safe overnight housing to homeless men and feeding thousands of hungry people each year, God continues to wow us with all His blessings and continued faithfulness to this ministry and our call to reach the least, the last, and the lost for Him.

And we can see God at work each and every day because of the faithful and generous people in our community who have partnered with us to keep our doors open for almost 65 years. And not only do we keep our doors open – we don’t charge our neighbors in need a dime to receive services. And even more amazing is that we receive no tax money from the government. Each day operating is a miracle because God continues to send all the right people to help provide all of our needs. And we can’t thank Him enough for each of you.

Each of you are having a profound impact on our community and in individuals lives whether you totally realize it or not. Every time you drop off a bag of clothing, buy a can of coffee, donate financially, volunteer an evening, you are helping to fight the good fight and bring HOPE back to thousands of people.

So thank you for your compassion and dedication to The Hope Center. Each life is precious and we are using the resources that you help to give to remind each person who comes to The Hope Center that they are important, they valuable, and they are loved – by a great God and His incredible people.

This Thanksgiving, and every Thanksgiving, we are so genuinely thankful for you! You’re making a difference. So again, thank you. We hope God blesses you this Christmas season.

“God Gave Me a New Beginning – Even at My Age”

Posted on November 15, 2019 by hopecenterhagerstown

To a lot of people birthdays are kind of a big deal. We all love celebrating the birth of our kids, family, friends and other loved ones. And at The Hope Center it gives us great joy to celebrate the birth of the guys in our residential recovery program: Foundations.

For the residents in our program, the celebration of their birth is special because many of them came to The Hope Center in desperate need of help for victory over addictions and other destructive lifestyles that were destroying them. The fact that we celebrate their life is a major victory for each of these men. And since they’re a part of our family, we love celebrating them!

So last Friday we celebrated the birthday of one of our residents, Terry Barnes. If you’ve volunteered or stopped by The Hope Center there’s a good chance you’ve seen Terry. Since being in the program Terry has worked in our kitchen and more prominently in our shelter as a deskman. So there’s a chance you have seen him smiling around The Hope Center.

But even if you’ve seen Terry you might not know much about him or his journey in life, especially the most recent journey of recovery and redemption at The Hope Center. So we asked Terry to give us a little summary of his thoughts as he celebrates another birthday. Here is what Terry has to say:

“I want to thank God first, then The Hope Center and the pastors and staff. I came to The Hope Center on June 1, 2018. I will graduate January 19, 2020. God has given me a new beginning at even my age. He’s shown me how to be accountable and responsible, and to believe and trust in Him. I say that because I found myself in a very difficult situation last month and God showed me He was right there with me and He gave me patience and strength. When I leave here, I am going to live a different lifestyle and give praise and thanks to God every day for changing my life.”

We are so proud of Terry and all the work he’s put into his personal recovery and relationship with God. He’s just a few short months away from completing our Foundations Life Recovery program. Please continue to pray for Terry as he moves quickly towards that finish line. And please remember to pray for the many other men who are in our recovery program and those who will enter our program hoping for a lasting change and freedom in Christ.

Please join us in wishing Terry a very, very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Here’s to many more, Terry!

And we want to thank our friend, Stormy, for baking another delicious birthday cake for our celebration! Every month we celebrate a birthday Stormy faithfully bakes and decorates a cake for our residents to enjoy. We appreciate her kindness and generosity so much!

To learn more about our recovery program please visit http://www.hagerstownhopecenter.com/foundations. If you’d like to talk to someone about our program, including enrolling in Foundations, please call 301.739.1165 or email foundations@hagerstownhopecenter.com.

Pizza, Burgers, and Charity, Oh My!

Posted on November 12, 2019 by hopecenterhagerstown

We’re beyond excited to announce that we’ve been chosen as Charity of the Week at Warehouse Tap Room in Hagerstown for the week of November 12 – 16!

20191105 WTR__Hope Center_ThnksGiving In celebration of Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season, the employees at Warehouse Tap Room are kicking off a “Month of Thanks & Giving” as a way to give back to the organizations that are already making such a significant impact in our local community! Each week, employees have selected a charity of the week. We are so thankful to have been chosen by the employees as a charity to support!

During the week of Nov 12 – 16, 10% of all proceeds will be donated to The Hope Center when patrons mention our name during checkout. It’s literally that simple. Enjoy a wonderful dinner with family and friends and then mention us to your server and you’re helping to give back to your community. It’s a win-win!

If you’ve been to Warehouse Tap Room then you know all about the delicious food and friendly service. But if you’ve never visited Warehouse Tap Room then now is the perfect time to check it out.

Warehouse Tap Room is located at 1130 Conrad Ct just off of Eastern Blvd in Hagerstown. They’re open Tues – Thurs 11:30am – 9pm and Fri – Sat 11:30am – 11pm. Go to warehousetaproom.com to check out their menu and learn more about this great local restaurant.

Please spread the word to your family, friends, coworkers, and social circle!

Let the Wildside Season Begin!

Posted on August 30, 2012 by hopecenterhagerstown

Now that Camp Wild is over and school is back in session, it’s time to get ready for all the fun that Wildside has to offer!

The Wildside action begins this Sunday, September 2nd, with the first Sunday Night Wild of the new season! Sunday Night Wild is held Sunday evenings from 7pm-8pm in the Sanctuary at Wildside.

Sunday Night Wild is a free evening service geared just for kids ages 5-12! Join us for singing, dancing, playing games, eating snacks and most importantly, learning about Jesus! If your children have friends who don’t normally go to church, this is a great event to have them bring those friends to hear about Jesus in a very safe and fun atmosphere. Sunday Night Wild starts this weekend with the series, The Code.

In addition to Sunday Night Wild, Wildside will kick-off their monthly parties with a Back-to-School (B2S) bash on Tuesday, September 25th from 4:30pm-6:30pm in the Trinity Center. This free after-school party is for kids ages 5-12. There will be games, food, fun and prizes. Kids will also have a chance to learn more about Jesus! If you have kids that would be interested in attending the B2S party, please call 301.739.1165 or email info@wildsideyouth.com.

The Back-to-School party is just the beginning. There will be a fun party each month throughout the rest of 2012! Fall-o-Ween will be in October, It’s a Wildside Thanksgiving is in November and Twas the Party B’fo Christmas in December. Go ahead and mark your calendars now!

If you’re looking for a great ministry to supplement your children’s spiritual education then check out the various events at Wildside. The goal of Wildside is to raise up a generation of young people that loves Jesus and wants to change the world for Him!

If you have a heart for children and want to serve God in a very dynamic and exciting atmosphere then please prayerfully consider joining the Wildside team! You can help to change lives for Christ by giving a little of your time each week to build relationships with kids that will help them grow closer to Jesus!

For more info about all things Wildside, please go to www.wildsideyouth.com. You can also call 301.739.1165 or email info@wildsideyouth.com.

The Hope Center of Hagerstown

Confronting Homelessness, Addiction, and Hunger in the name of Christ

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