MOMENTS OF HOPE OUTREACH

Moments of Hope Outreach operates a homeless outreach, provides emergency shelter to our unsheltered neighbors, operates a food pantry, and hosts a weekly community outreach luncheon rain or shine with a mobile pantry, health screenings, bike shop, clothing ministry, homeless services, fellowship and prayer. We began as a one-man homeless outreach in late 2014, began serving Saturday lunches in late 2015, became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2016, launched our emergency shelter program in 2017, and opened our food pantry in January 2019. “Mo Hope” serves Caroline, Hanover, Henrico and King William counties, and Richmond north of the James River in Virginia.

Homeless Outreach & Camp Visits – We conduct outreach to homeless camps, shopping center parking lots, and panhandlers multiple times each week due to the growing number of people experiencing homelessness in our service area. We provide food, resources, and guidance on surviving outside for the newly homeless. We conduct wellness checks on our chronically homeless neighbors and provide vital supplies. We have distributed 2,300+ new sleeping bags and 2,200+ new tents since 2015.

Emergency Shelter Program - 2024 will be our 8th year operating our non-congregate Emergency Shelter Program utilizing private motel rooms to provide brief shelter to our homeless neighbors. We provide brief Emergency motel stays for those suddenly experiencing homelessness, and for our chronically homeless neighbors at risk during dangerous weather. We also provide monthly two-night Dignity motel stays for those who have not bathed in weeks. We host “Room in the Inn” each year at Christmas to provide two nights in a motel, meals, gifts and more for every unsheltered neighbor we can shelter, because no one should spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Night outside.

Mo Hope Pantry – Our food pantry located near the Hanover Courthouse opened in 2019 and provides enough groceries to prepare six meals to 350-500+ neighbors each week. Our pantry has distributed enough groceries to prepare over 340,000 meals. Our pantry also provides groceries to 550-700+ neighbors via our Mobile Pantry at our Saturday Servings events, and has provided enough groceries to prepare over 520,000 meals. It also regularly supports 19 area food ministries and pantries with surplus bulk food we receive free from the food bank and other free sources. The majority of the food we receive comes from Feed More, our generous food bank partner.

Saturday Servings – Our weekly Saturday Servings community outreach events offer critical nutrition via free groceries to households experiencing food insecurity. Since 2016, we have hosted over 420 weekly outdoor community outreach events in the same shopping center parking lot, and served over 110,000 free lunches prepared and served by groups from partner churches and businesses. Our guest tallies continue to climb.