The work of the Mission Outreach Committee of the House of Hope is funded by the congregation’s pledge dollars and dedicated endowed funds. The committee is dedicated to funding work that contributes to the community in four main areas:
- Food Security – through local food shelves and food support programs such as Loaves and Fishes.
- Housing and shelter – through building and maintaining housing and supporting people at risk of losing housing.
- Education – by supporting educational programs for children pre-K through 12 in public schools and through scholarships for higher education.
- Social Justice – we support organizations in the above three areas that promote and support racial and social justice in their employment practices, and with regard to the people they serve.
HOH works with a number of organizations located primarily in the East Metro area, and hosts some programs at the church. In addition to providing funds, members of the House of Hope volunteer in many of these organizations.
If you are interested in spending some of your time, whether on a regular or one-time basis, you can connect with any of the organizations listed below to participate in their programming options. Specific opportunities will be listed on this page as they are made known to committee members. Feel free to send additional information to Mission@hohchurch.org and we will include it in this list.
| Loaves and Fishes: |
Help set up, cook, serve, and clean up after meals at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Saint Paul. Meal preparation begins at 2:45 p.m. At 4:30 p.m. the meal serving crew begins packaging the meals for distribution, and clean up should be completed by 6:30 p.m. Please remember a hat or hairnet is required, and bring a face mask. Youth people are welcome – this is a great family opportunity. Contact Norma Herther for more information or to volunteer or call Kevin Loney or Norma Herther at 651-493-0752 or 612-356-7203. |
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Interfaith Action
of Greater St. Paul:
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Faithful Hospitality (NEW!):
- At the end of this month, Interfaith Action will launch Faithful Hospitality, an initiative to provide mobile shelter to help Hennepin County shelters deal with an overflow of families experiencing homelessness. Houses of worship will offer shelter, as they did prior to the pandemic, as well as volunteers to help guests feel safe and welcome. In addition, Interfaith Action will collaborate with community partners to provide supportive legal, housing, and employment services to families in Faithful Hospitality shelters. The initiative, supported by the State of Minnesota, is designed to alleviate capacity challenges in shelters, decrease costs of serving families experiencing homelessness, and empower interfaith partners to live out their faith values.
- We are looking for overnight shelter host volunteers to provide warmth and hospitality to guests. Overnight hosts are on duty 7pm-7am weekdays and 7pm-8am weekends. Please reference the attached volunteer flyer and volunteer position description for more information. Details can be found here. Ready to sign up? Please fill out our volunteer form HERE.
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| Department of Indian Work: |
- We are in need of at least 2-3 volunteers 1x per month on every fourth Friday from 10am-1pm (or so) to help with our Elders Lodge delivery orders. The volunteers would shop already completed order forms and bag them up, label them and get them ready for delivery. If you’re interested, please reach out to Emergency Services Manager Theresa Halvorson-Lee at 651-789-3864.
- We are collecting food items to keep our pantry stocked! The most needed items right now are: cereals, cooking and baking items, side dish items and snacks, and gluten-free, low-sodium, or organic items. You can drop off donations during food shelf hours which you can find on our website.
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| Wilder Foundation |
Numerous opportunities are available at Wilder Foundation for individuals and groups on a one-time, or ongoing basis. Examples include Meals on Wheels delivery and Child Development Center enrichment activities. For more information, click here. |
