WHAT’S HAPPENING?
FROM THE DIRECTORS DESK
Our Vision for 2025
We want to share our heart for 2025 and the plans we envision for this year. This year like in past years we have seen the needs in our community grow exponentially. Rents have increased. Food cost have skyrocketed and peoples' paychecks have stayed the same or in some cases been reduced. Trying to find affordable housing for our unsheltered homeless and for those that currently have shelter is a daunting task and extremely hard to find. This year we are continuing our Homelessness Prevention Programs (Rental Assistance & Food Assistance) but also adding Financial Freedom classes for those that want to take charge of their finances instead of their finances taking charge of them.
As with all non-profit organizations, we depend heavily on donations from our community in order to support these programs. Donations are vital to the success of all non-profits including Journey of Hope Ministry. Those that choose to partner with us in the upcoming year, will be helping us make a huge impact on someone's life. Whether that is keeping someone in their home, getting into a new home, putting food on their table, going in for substance abuse treatment. Each dollar donated will make a huge difference in the life of those in our community. All money/items goes towards individuals that live here in Lincoln County, NC. Some of the areas that your donation will go towards funding are:
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Financial Literacy classes where individuals learn how to manage their finances through an effective budgeting.
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Assist our homeless community with finding affordable housing.
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Identify and assist those that are in danger of becoming homeless through our Rental Assistance Program. This program is designed to help keep individuals in their homes and avoid being evicted and becoming homeless. This is available for those that are in the eviction process. We will work with landlords and other organizations to help keep individuals in their homes. This program is dependent on fund availability.
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Increase our Food Assistance Program to help those that are struggling with food insecurity by providing Aldi gift card for all qualifying individuals and families. This program is dependent on fund availability.
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Prepare and distribute blessing bags that contain food items to our unsheltered homeless.
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Continue feeding at the soup kitchen once a month in the evening. This is one of the best ways for us to stay connected with the unsheltered homeless.
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As always we will continue to have in November our Annual Chick-fil-a box meal giveaway and other give aways during Homeless Awareness Month
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In December we will conducting the 3rd Annual Holiday for the Homeless Christmas Event
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Walk hand in hand with those that have health issues in whatever way is needed. Connect individuals with resources that are available and help them understand the process.
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Continue sharing the Good News of Jesus with our unsheltered homeless and with any others that God places in our path.
1st Quarter Newsletter
The first quarter of 2025 has been a very busy one for the ministry. We wanted to share what we have been up to so far.
- The first quarter had us busy with Room in the Inn for our unsheltered homeless. Each Friday we would meet at the soup kitchen and prepare our neighbors for their night at Room in the Inn in Denver, NC. This event was instrumental in breaking down walls and engaging in real life changing talks. Our neighbors really enjoyed their time of fellowship with one another and with the volunteers each week. Everyone involved was able to share the love of Jesus with them.
- This year the weather became a challenge for us in trying to get some of our homeless neighbors into hotel room during some of the coldest nights we have had in years. Organization came together to help get them out of the cold.
- This quarter we started back up our Distribution Days (weather permitting). During this time, we passed out blessing bags of food, hot hands, socks, fast food gift cards, and a meal to go.
- In January, we held our 1st Annual Gift Card Challenge at Covenant Church. The monetary donations and actual gift cards donated have allowed us to meet 75% of the goal that was set for 2025.
- We passed out 110 blessing food bags and fast-food gift cards this quarter.
- Food Assistance Program (Lincoln County Residents Only), we have been able to help 3 families this quarter that were struggling with food insecurities
- Rental Assistance Program (Lincoln County Residents Only) we were able to help 3 families stay in their homes this quarter. One family has begun our Financial Literacy Class and will complete it in May.
- We have continued our monthly feeding at the soup kitchen on the 1st Monday evening of the month. February, we had our largest group to date.
- Participated in the 2025 HUD Pit (Point in Time) Count that is conducted in January of each year.
- We have continued our partnership with several organizations (NC211, NCCARES360/Unite Us/United Way) that have become very beneficial in helping our unsheltered homeless community.
- We are looking forward to the 2nd quarter, as we begin changing over to our Spring/Summer items. Please see the donation request below for items that we are urgently needing.
- We are also looking for monthly donors that would like to partner with us so that we can continue to reach out and help our homeless neighbors and those that are in danger of becoming homeless. If you feel led to become a monthly donor, please check out the link on our donation page. We would greatly appreciate it.
DONATIONS NEEDED
We are in need of the following items:
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Bug Spray
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Sunscreen
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Peanut Butter (16 oz)
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If you would like to donate any of these items, please email us at journeyofhopeministry@gmail.com - Subject Line: Donation Items