Tag Archives: people in need

It’s Finally Time for Some Spring Cleaning!

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For a time it seemed like winter would never end! But those April showers helped to bring May flowers and some warmer weather. It’s always such a joy to watch the earth come back to life and to hear all the birds singing and enjoying the warmer temperatures.

And with the arrival of spring comes the annual tradition: spring cleaning. As you start to go through your house, room by room, getting rid of unnecessary items, please keep DSC_0805us in mind! With two Thrift Stores (Hagerstown & Chambersburg), we always welcome your gently used clothing, shoes, furniture, jewelry, housewares, and more. Sales generated in our Thrift Stores help to underwrite the cost of all of our programs and services so that we can continue to provide for our neighbors in need at no cost to them or the taxpayer.

If you are interested in donating various items to The Hope Center, here is some info you should know:

Furniture – accepted at the rear of the Thrift Store (central parking lot off of Church St) from 9AM – 4:30PM Monday – Saturday. Please do not leave items on the dock unattended, especially after business hours.

Furniture Items Accepted– beds (frames, headboards, footboards, mattresses* & box springs), couches, upholstered* chairs, dining tables and chairs, small tables (end tables & coffee tables), desks and chairs and dressers. We also accept rugs, bicycles, exercise equipment, wheelchairs and other handicap equipment.
*We cannot accept mattresses or upholstered furniture that is torn, stained or covered in pet hair.

DSC_0888Clothing & Miscellaneous – items accepted at the rear of the parking lot Monday – Saturday from approximately 8:30AM – 4:30PM (between 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM there is no assistance to unload vehicle. You may still drop off items but if you require assistance please come before or after.) Please do not leave items unattended on the dock after business hours.

Items NOT Accepted– wet/soiled clothing, computers, floor model televisions (we do take flat screen TV’s as long as they work), floor model stereos, office telephones (multiple line phones) refrigerators and freezers, washers and dryers, dishwashers, stoves, sinks and toilets, large wooden or metal desks (office), upright pianos, large organs, cribs & car seats (due to government regulations for resale), waterbed mattresses or frames and used ceiling/electric fixtures.

We accept corrugated cardboard at our Baling Facility Monday – Friday from 8:30AM – 11:30AM and 12:30 PM-1:30PM and on Saturday from 8:30AM – 11:30AM.

If you have items to donate that are not listed or you have questions about certain items, please call 301.739.1165 or email hagerstownrescue@verizon.net. We do have a truck that can pick-up your items. Each day our truck covers a specific area of town. If you’d like to schedule a pick-up, please call 301.739.1165 to get more details. You can quickly learn more about donating your gently used items here: https://www.hagerstownhopecenter.com/in-kind-gifts

Also, you can get a receipt for tax purposes by making a list of items donated. Please remember to put your name & address on the list!! Your list can be turned in at the Thrift Store or you can get a form to fill out in the Thrift Store. You will receive your tax-deductible receipt by mail in two to three weeks.

Thank you so much for your generous donations to The Hope Center! These items will help families and individuals in your community in many different ways. Go to http://www.hagerstownhopecenter.com to learn more about all the various programs and services we provide to people in need in our area.

It was Another Wonderful Thanksgiving!

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It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone already!

All the work and preparation for our Great Hagerstown Thanksgiving Feast was worth it! We had a fantastic day with all of our guests and volunteers!

We want to thank anyone and everyone who helped in one way or another with this event. It takes a lot of people and a lot of food to make this event as spectacular as it is so we appreciate all those involved with the giving of food or time to help us provide such a wonderful holiday event to our community guests.

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This year we served over 300 guests! We had approximately 60 volunteers working in many different areas making sure that we kept our guests happy. Our volunteers helped us by covering & setting tables, food prep like slicing bananas for the fruit cocktail, slicing pies and more, greeting guests, transporting food from our kitchen to the Trinity Center, and serving the buffet lunch to our guests. Our volunteers also helped with beverage service and dessert distribution, while others interacted with guests by mingling and talking. We also had a wonderful crew of volunteers who helped to clean up the mess afterwards!

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We were also thankful to have Robert Smith, a graduate of our Foundations Life Recovery program, join us as a special guest for Thanksgiving. Robert sang a beautiful solo for all of our guests and volunteers. We are so happy to see all the great things that God is doing in Robert’s life and we are so proud of Robert and the success that he’s had in his personal life.

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Thanks again to all of our volunteers who gave of their time on Thanksgiving! We couldn’t serve so many without you! And we want to give a special shout-out to Christy Hartt for managing all the volunteers during the event. It’s a lot of work making sure everyone is where they need to be so we’re thankful that she was able to help us keep the event flowing so easily.

If you were unable to volunteer on Thanksgiving day but are interested in joining our winning group of volunteers, then go ahead and call 301.739.1165 or email hagerstownrescue@verizon.net for more info. There are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved in one way or another throughout the year at The Hope Center.

If you don’t have the time but would like to support this ministry then why not become a monthly donor. Your donation helps to keep the many programs of hope running throughout the year. From providing housing to homeless men, to warm lunches for needy neighbors, to after-school programs to disadvantaged kids, to food bags for hungry families, and substance abuse rehabilitation for addicted men, your tax-deductible financial support helps thousands of people each year with their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. For info about supporting this ministry, call 301.739.1165 or email hagerstownrescue@verizon.net.

Also, please visit www.hagerstownrescue.org to learn more about the various ministries and programs at The Hope Center. You can also make a secure donation through PayPal on our website.

Celebrate National Coffee Day!

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Coffee is probably the most important part of everyone’s breakfast routine. We all need a good cup of joe to jolt the brain awake and prepare us for the stresses and happiness of each new day.

coffee2On September 29th, America is celebrating our most beloved hot beverage! Stores and businesses across the country are offering free cups of coffee or special coupons to celebrate the day.

A coffee lover comes in many different shapes & sizes. We hail from the Northeast to the Southwest and even places like Alaska & Hawaii. Coffee lovers come from all social backgrounds and are all ages. Pretty much, everyone is a coffee lover.

As you enjoy your morning brew or celebrate with an afternoon latte, remember that not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy a hot cup of coffee each day. There are people who have fallen on hard times and don’t have the resources to drink a cup of coffee each day.

Join us in helping to restore hope to these people by starting with a cup of coffee. It may sound silly, but a cup of joe can help break down barriers and be the first step to building a relationship that could change a life forever!

At The Hope Center, we go through a lot of coffee. From our residents, to our transient guests, to our daily meal guests, to our weekly Koffee Klatch ladies group, there is a lot of coffee consumed. And all that coffee consumption can quickly add up.

Our pantry runs low on essentials, like coffee & sugar, quite often. So why not help celebrate National Coffee Day by grabbing a cup for yourself and a container of coffee for those in need?

This weekend as you go to your favorite grocery store, pick up an extra can or jug of coffee for The Hope Center. Something as small as a can of coffee can go along way. By supplying us with coffee, you allow us to use our resources for other programs & ministries to help reach people in need for Christ.

Money that would be spent purchasing coffee & sugar can go towards helping men break from their addictions that have destroyed their lives. This money can go towards providing comfortable beds and warm blankets for the homeless during the cold winter months. There are so many ways that your coffee donation can actually help make a difference in our city.

But the most important way that your coffee donation can make a difference is that someone who feels lost, desperate and alone knows that there are caring, loving people in this world and there is a great, loving and compassionate God who wants the best for them.

Restoring hope and changing lives is too big for humans. It’s a God-sized task. He just asks that we show His love so He can rescue lives.

And love can come in all forms, even a cup of coffee.

If you would like to donate coffee or get involved on a regular basis at The Hope Center, please call 301.739.1165 or email hagerstownrescue@verizon.net.

To drop off coffee & sugar donations, please stop by our Administrative Office, Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm. If you need to arrange another time, please call us at 301.739.1165.

If your church, Sunday School class, youth group, civic organization, Boy/Girl Scout troop, business or any other group would like to host a Coffee & Sugar Drive, please contact us for details. This is a wonderful way for the community to pull together to help make a difference.

Thank you for caring & sharing! Your support helps tremendously!

For more info on The Hope Center, please go to www.hagerstownrescue.org.

God is so Good!!

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God has been so faithful & good to The Hope Center! God continues to bless this ministry and we are so thankful for His generosity.

And we are so thankful for each of you who have helped us reach so many in need. As energy and food prices continue to rise, we are able to keep the lights on and food bags filled, enabling us to reach the physical needs of people which allows us to help reach their spiritual needs as well!

In the month of May, so much food has been donated that our pantry is busting at the seams! The more food the merrier! This allows us to feed so many people in our area!

Our food bank ministry is a very vital outreach to families in Hagerstown. So many families on a budget come to our food bank to get some help to feed their families. If we were to buy all the food to keep this ministry open, we’d be in major financial troubles! But God has blessed us with great neighbors and supporters who help us to keep the hungry fed!