Communities Uniting in Prayer and Service (Cups)

CUPS assists with Furniture and Basic Household Items for Fire Victims, Individuals moving out of Domestic Abuse or Homeless Shelters or Families reestablishing households due to other crisis. All Household Items and Furniture are donated to CUPS from individuals in the community to pass along to those in need.  The budget for this program reflects the annual expense of administrative costs for warehouse space to store donated items.

In 2007, a CUPS Volunteer started taking donated items and arranging them into gift baskets to distribute in "special circumstances", (for example - to someone in tears over a lost home after a fire).  All items in the gift baskets are donated.  This gift basket ministry has grown - now several hundred baskets are distributed at Easter and approx. 1,000 at Christmas.

Program began in January of 2012 with weekly classes for those who are just moving into housing after a stay in a shelter, house fire or because they have been living with relatives or friends. The 4-week cycle of classes covers Household Budgeting; Paperwork/Organizing; Smart Shopping (using coupons, basic nutrition and resisting impulse buys); and Emotional Self Care. Incentives valued at $25 per family per week (Laundry basket with cleaning supplies, Paperwork file box with organizational supplies, Toiletries, and a Gift/Food Basket) will be given to families to encourage attendance. Babysitting is provided so that families with young children can attend.

The vision for Brewing HOPE was born in the heart of a Hurricane Katrina survivor who now is a part time staff member at CUPS. She shared that the support and encouragement which she received from her "CUPS family" is what supplied her with the strength to start over after such a devastating loss. Brewing HOPE is a group of women who meet weekly to support each other through the tough times in life. They share coffee, a devotional, conversation and advice. They share tips on how to find assistance. They share HOPE - Hugs, Optimism, Prayer, and Encouragement. 
 
The annual budget reflects the cost of coffee and supplies, space usage (4% of CUPS total administrative costs), & compensation for Brewing HOPE coordinator ($40/week).