Partners
Community Partners
We would never be able to meet the need of our clients, if it were not for our community partners, grantors, or our volunteers. These are the three parts of our operation that has kept the Hopewell Food Pantry going since 1983.
Food products and funds continue to be donated by local churches, individuals, and various organizations. The Hopewell Postal Workers conduct a city-wide food drive yearly. In 2020, they collected 4,000 pounds. Scouting for Food and other community stewardship projects by local groups have added to our hunger relief mission. Further, local businesses regularly donate to the HFP by the Hopewell Food Lion, Save a Lot, Panera Bread, Goya Foods warehouse, Starbucks, Wawa, and one Target store in Richmond.
Our Grantors
The grants we receive help support the work of the HFP, as we provide a service to the City of Hopewell. The grants assist us in purchasing food, equipment replacement, and facility improvements. Our financial funding comes from:
John Randolph Foundation
Cameron Foundation
Community Development Building Grant (CDBG)
Capital Area Partners Uplifting People (CAPUP)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
City of Hopewell Community Grant
Harlan Foundation
And many more…
Our Volunteers
We could not accomplish all that we do without the steadfastness and talents of our volunteers. We are truly honored to work with so many wonderful people committed to our needy residents of Hopewell. Currently, there are approximately 75 people that actively volunteer, doing a wide variety of jobs. A number of our volunteers came to us as clients and stayed to help others. We believe we are impacting the lives of the people we serve, as well as those who volunteer. Lives are changed by the simple act of providing everyone with access to healthy, nutritious food.
Our Impact
We are the only food pantry in Hopewell, and we only serve zip code 23860 and 23836. Our success story is that the Hopewell Food Pantry never missed a normal day of being open to any Hopewell resident in need of food.
All food pantries, and other such places providing food to people, are doing a great service. From its beginning, the HFP has provided each family a consistent quantity of what is called ‘dry goods’ every visit and based on family size. As additional funding has become available, clients have benefited by this, thus more has been made available to them. They can expect items, such as: breakfast cereal, oatmeal, spaghetti, canned vegetables, tuna, mac & cheese, canned fruit, soup, beans, toilet paper, bar soap, detergent, etc. in each food distribution. Above and beyond this fixed distribution of dry goods, they also receive frozen meat, fresh produce, bread, deserts, dairy and much more. Every Thanksgiving our active clients receive either a turkey (families of 3 or more) or an oven stuffer roaster chicken. It is estimated that each monthly distribution provides at least seven days of meals to everyone in the family.
Families can receive a distribution once in each calendar month. Each month last year, an average of 1,125 (13,536 total, our highest year ever) families were served. An average of 375 children and 340 seniors were served. Nearly 55% of our client base are seniors and the disabled. Homeless individuals can come to us once a week, and these total 100 visits a month. Each month, approximately 24,000 pounds go out of our building to feed families in need.
Each year, we spend in the range of $75,000 to make this happen. We have two paid buyers who pick up local donations and purchase the needed food for every distribution, to ensure we meet the need. These buyers also will connect with truckers looking to donate food.
The Hopewell Food Pantry has created access to good, healthy food for all Hopewell residents in need.
Special Feeding Program: We offer the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). This is a Federal program that provides a monthly 35-pound box of shelf stable food items, plus a two-pound block of cheese to low-income seniors over the age of 60 that qualify financially. The HFP currently manages 100 distributions a month. Please call us if you’d like to receive this package.
Education Programs: Our three education related programs have been temporality suspended due to the drive thru nature of our operation. They will resume once we can allow our clients to come into our building.
Our free book program sponsored by Lisa Libraries of Kingston, New York, continues to be a blessing to many of our client’s children. The books are free to us, and all we do is pay for the shipping. One new book per visit, mostly for children and young adults, is available to each child in a family. A dedicated bookshelf has been placed in our lobby. 500 books were given out this year.
For the adults that come to pick-up food, current local newspapers are placed in the in-take area for them to read. This is likely the only time they have a chance to read a newspaper.
A class entitled “Money Management for Families that Live Paycheck to Paycheck” is offered to any of clients whenever requested.