Moments of Hope Outreach Inc

We're providing a safety net for those we serve; currently 4,938 between our Saturday Servings events and Mo Hope Pantry, and that number is growing quickly. We aim to supplement the food and hygiene products they purchase weekly, as well as provide a hot meal. We are committed to helping those experiencing homelessness connect with housing and shelter resources, and providing temporary shelter when possible. Most importantly, we will give Hope to all who are struggling whom we serve.

Homeless Outreach & Camp Visits – We check-in with our friends living outside and provide supplies such as replacement tents and sleeping bags. We have distributed 1,000+ new sleeping bags and 1,000+ new tents since 2015. We have helped 57 of our unsheltered neighbors end their homeless nightmare through stable housing.

Emergency Shelter Program - We serve as a safety net to Richmond's shelter system and those homeless neighbors who are unable to access traditional shelter after hours or when it is full. We provide Emergency Motel Stays during dangerous weather, Dignity Stays in motels for those who have not bathed in weeks, and our Room in the Inn program at Christmas…because no one should spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Night outside. We provided emergency shelter for 204 individuals in 2020 for a total of 1,745 nights, and at a cost of $103,000.

Mo Hope Pantry – Our food pantry is located near the Hanover Courthouse and provides enough groceries to prepare six meals to 150-250+ neighbors each week. Our staff assists with applications for benefits such as Medicaid and SNAP. In 2020, we distributed enough canned foods, dry goods, fresh fruit & veggies, and frozen meat to prepare over 66,500 meals. Our pantry operation regularly supports nine area food ministries and pantries with surplus bulk food we receive free from the food bank and other sources.

Saturday Servings – Our Saturday Servings Community Outreach events offer critical nutrition through quality food items to households experiencing food insecurity. Since 2016, we have hosted over 300 weekly outdoor community outreach events and served over 55,000 free lunches. Through our partnership with Feed More, our mobile pantry provides each individual enough groceries to prepare six meals. Our guest tallies continue to climb due to COVID, and we currently serve an average of 310 struggling neighbors each Saturday rain or shine.

These events provide a free hot meal, health screenings, clothing, bike repairs, tents and sleeping bags for those experiencing homelessness, and assistance with Medicaid, SNAP, and replacement photos IDs. For many of our guests, these events provide a rare opportunity to socialize and fellowship, as many are seniors, disabled, and shut-ins. The hot meals we provide are prepared and served by groups from partner churches and businesses.

We've partnered with many churches and businesses who support our Saturday Servings events, our Mo Hope Mobile Pantry, and our new Mo Hope Pantry at our office. In 2020, we had 300 volunteers working with us.

We've helped 43 friends overcome homelessness and get their own apartments.

At our Saturday Servings events, we served 6,469 meals in 2017, 11,565 meals in 2018, and 10,739 in 2019.

The number of Saturday Servings guests we've created profiles on has grown from 400 men, women, and children in November 2017 to 3,141 as of December 31, 2019. The number of Saturday Servings guests who indicate they are homeless is 489 as of December 31, 2019.

2020 Summary

Overall Reach:
4,938 unique individuals served...Up from 3,450 in 2019.

Homeless Outreach:
108 new tents distributed...Down from 113 in 2019.
146 new sleeping bags distributed...Down from 234 in 2019.
1,000+ sleeping bags & 950+ tents since 2015.

Emergency Shelter Program:
204 individuals provided motel stays...Up from 170 in 2019.
1,745 nights...Up from 878 in 2019.
$103,000 for motel rooms...up from $50,148 in 2019.
67 children ages 0-17...Up from 25 in 2019.

Weekly Outdoor Community Outreach Events:
Since 2016 - over 280 events and 41,000+ lunches.

Unique individuals served - 3,306...Up from 1,813 in 2019.
Guests served on average weekly - 244...Up from 202 guests in 2019.
Highest number of guests served - 433...Up from 295 guests in 2019.
Lunches served - 12,954...Up from 10,739 lunches in 2019.
Pounds of groceries distributed - 564,096...Up from 53,500 in 2019.
Groceries measured in meals - 104,979
Pounds of toiletries distributed - 36,400...Up from 10,700 in 2019.

Mo Hope Pantry:

Unique individuals served - 1,632...Up from 744 in 2019.
Guests served on average weekly - 155...Down from 160 in 2019.
Highest number of guests served - 309...Up from 286 in 2019.
Pounds of groceries distributed - 958,584...Up from 77,232 in 2019.
Groceries measured in meals - 66,513
Pounds of toiletries distributed - 71,160...Up from 24,000 in 2019.