Boy, do we have some fantastic news! After months of searching high and low and pleading with our followers, the Hope House is absolutely thrilled to announce that we have a building for food storage!!!!
Sonoco Products in Newport has graciously donated a storage building so we can begin our partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. Partnering with Second
Harvest will allow us to purchase good food for pennies on the dollar to provide for our community in need. This partnership gives us so many options for serving our community, and we're so excited to start down this road.
This exciting blessing has opened so many doors for us. We now have the chance to make a real difference in our community by opening a Food Pantry on a much larger scale then our current Little Free Food Pantries in the community. We can decide whether we want to continue to just have non-perishable goods or upgrade by installing electricity in the building allowing us to have refrigeration to offer fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy. Our plan is to open our doors twice monthly with the help of Board members and volunteers. During these open hours, our guests may come “shop” at the Pantry for what they may need. We will also have a section for toiletries and other essential items, such as small containers of laundry detergent and the like. It is so exciting that our guests will be able to take their time and not be in the elements while they choose their products. We are not requiring any proof of identification or imposing income requirements. We continue to follow our guiding principle of...Take what you need. Leave what you can. Above all be blessed. Anyone who needs help is welcome.
Thank you to a HHCC supporter and Sonoco employee for remembering us when Sonoco decided to get rid of this building. This mission can only happen with people stepping up to make it happen. This building is just the beginning. The building is 12’ wide, 12’ tall, and 16’ long with an overhang in front. We will be able to help feed so many people!
So what's next, you ask? We need you!!! As exciting as this is, we still need several things to make our Pantry a reality: a permanent location for our building, a slab for our house to stand on, and someone to move the building. We know that where there is a will; there is a way. So we're asking you to help us make this hapopen. If you have the ability to help us with any of this or could provide any of these services, please contact us! Donations are tax-deductible, but we are also able to pay a reasonable fee. Please help us make this happen. No donation is too small. No idea is too far-fetched. TOGETHER we can make this Food Pantry a reality.
Reach out to TheHopeHouseCC@gmail.com, if you're able to help.
Or consider donating to the Hope House of Cocke County by check or PayPal Friends and Family to TheHopeHouseCC@gmail.com.
Checks can be made payable to “Hope House of Cocke County” and mailed to:
PO Box 1019
Newport, TN 37822