Resurrection Celebration Feast 2016

We had such a wonderful time pulling together an event last November to feed the homeless and less fortunate for Thanksgiving that we decided to do it again. Kristi's Hope teamed up with The Sweet Mission Project and pulled the community together to make this happen. 

Thanks to the amazing people who took the time to donate and volunteer, we were able to make this a great success. Homeless and less fortunate families came from Westminster and surrounding areas for some Lasagna, Ham, Fresh Salad, Pasta and Potato salad, Desserts and more. Through donations, we were also able provide a clothing closet to "shop" from, they were able to take a hygiene bag filled with necessities, and a grocery bag as well as a to go plate of warm food.

Big shout out to The Firecrackers Softball team for volunteering their time! 

Project Evergreen - Easter Baskets

Overview: The number of children living in motels in OC is astonishing. Like all children, these children love to play and they go to school, BUT at the same time, they are different than other children. To no fault of their own, they are living in poverty where their basic needs are barely met. Their parents or grandparents raising them struggle to pay motel rent and buy food let alone buy the fun little extras all kids desire on holidays like Easter.

Objective: Kristi's Hope worked hard to to rally you all for support once again. We wanted to show these children that their community cares.. We teamed up with Project Evergreen and together our goal was provide baskets, filled eggs and small gifts for 200 children in 6 OC motel locations. Our personal goal was to collect 100 Prefilled Eggs, 100 Easter Baskets and 100 small toys (ages 3-12).

Results: Thanks to each and every one who donated we were able to provide a donation of 192 Prefilled Eggs, 145 Easter Baskets, 120 Easter activity books and 96 boxes of crayons for the children living in local motels.

Here is one of the thank you letters we received:

“ Your time and dedication to Motel Church did not go unnoticed! Take a look at all the happy smiling faces. Thank you for giving your time and donations to serve others. The preparation team for our Easter celebration was filed with love and hope. Those positive and encouraging thoughts from you went straight to the motels and were passed on the the guests and volunteers! It was a beautiful day filled with love. Because of you, children and adults knew someone cared. They were not alone. You made a difference by shinning your light into the world for others! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. “

2nd Annual Share the Love Pajama Drive

Overview: Every Child has a right to a good night. Thousands of children across the United States go to sleep at night afraid and lonely, in ill-fitting and soiled clothing and alone with their dreaded thoughts. These children may live in a group home, a shelter or temporary housing facilities. The children are often shuffled from one place to another. Many of them have been abandoned, abused or neglected. Most of these children have never enjoyed the simple comfort of having a parent tuck them in at bedtime with warm, clean pajamas and a bedtime story. Some of the children are living with their families below the poverty level, in desperate need of food, clothing and shelter and some are living within our foster care system. The two simple gifts of pajamas and books let these children know that someone cares - sometimes these are the only new things they have ever received. Through this simple act of love, we can fulfill every child’s right to a good night.

Objective: The pajama drive challenge was intended to bring awareness to the overwhelming need for caring and compassionate people in our community. The children who will receive these donations are victims of circumstance. Children that are a part of the Orange County Social Services, entering foster care. Something as simple as pajamas can put a smile on the children’s faces and bring comfort to their nights in a strange place.

Results: Volunteers met at West Grove Park to help match donated pajamas with age appropriate books for children in our Orange County Foster Care system. Beautiful cards, made by the young volunteers, were attached to each pair and they were wrapped up with ribbon. We assembled 152 pairs of pajamas and books. We had a few donations come in after the event which gave us a grand total of 160 beautifully wrapped pajamas and books.

THANK YOU to every single person who played a part in making this happen. Donating, collecting, volunteering etc. The community came together to make this event a success.

For more pictures from this event please visit: https://www.facebook.com/Kristis-Hope-629137777168412/

2nd Annual Christmas Stockings

Overview: Our men and women serving our country outside our borders, in foreign lands, many putting their lives on the line every day, desire the same things you do during the holidays. We can’t bring them all home, but we can send a piece of Christmas to them and lovingly remind them that America has not forgotten them.

Objective: Kristi’s Hope partnered with the community to collect Christmas stockings and stocking stuffers to fill and ship off to deployed troops. We also had several classrooms and girl-scout troops volunteer their time to create pictures/letters/cards to include in the stockings.

Result: For about 3 weeks donations were dropped off and volunteers started RSVP’ing to help fill the stockings. On Saturday November 21st local volunteers met at the park to fill 382 stockings with donated items such as hygiene products, fun snacks, healthy snacks, entertainment items like puzzles, books, games etc. and several letters/cards drawings thanking the soldiers for their service/sacrifice.

On Monday November 23rd the stockings were boxed up and ready to ship, but we ran into a hick up. The gal who we were working with at Operation Give passed away and no one was ready to fill in her spot and get the packages shipped out. We frantically reached out to the community for help and a volunteer named Cheryl from The American Legion in Newport Beach stepped up and agreed to take the stockings. We were able to get some shipped off to deployed troops, some were given to local Marines who are stationed far away from family this holiday season and some where given to Wounded Warrior Barracks.

Here is one of the thank you letters we received:
“... As a former Marine, I have contacts at Camp Pendleton. The rest was heart warming. We delivered the boxes to the 5th Marines yesterday. Some are also going to the Wounded Warrior Barracks at Camp Pendleton. We were surprised at the number of stockings as well as the quality of the contents. The Marines were very happy as this kind gesture will let many of our young warriors know that people are thinking of them at this very special time of year. I salute you and others involved. It is obvious a great deal of effort went into it. “



Here are some additional photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.914104112005109.1073741841.629137777168412&type=1&hc_location=ufi

Hope for the Homeless

OVERVIEW: “Everybody who is homeless is not mentally ill, or alcoholics or drug addicts,” Councilman Joe Carchio said. “They live behind grocery stores, they live in their cars, they stay at friends' houses on couches. There are women with children that are living in motels.”

Although we are enjoying the nice hot summer, colder nights are approaching (El Nino) and we are going to start collecting items so we can make a difference in someone’s life! In many lives!

OBJECTIVE: Kristi’s Hope teamed up with Howdy's Homeless Helpers to provide necessities to the local homeless men, women & children in Huntington Beach, CA by reaching out and asking for donations with the goal of filling zip lock bags with necessities to be handed out to the local homeless population in and around Huntington Beach.

RESULT: We collected donations such as granola bars, bottled water, hand sanitzer, tooth brushes and toothpaste, deodorant, crackers, trail mix, ponchos and tarps etc.

Saturday October 3rd, 2015 we gathered with volunteers to create the blessing bags by filling the zip lock baggies with the donated items. 200 Blessing bags and 30 tarps were then delivered to Howdy’s Homeless Helpers to be passed out around the community.

Backpacks with a Purpose

OVERVIEW: As a mom, I know how important it is to me to make sure my kids have everything that they need (not want, NEED) and I can not imagine how hard it must be for single, homeless moms struggling to survive and provide for their kids. The families supported by Colette's Children's Home are real live people, struggling from abuse, economical crises etc. and they are trying to get their feet back on the ground. 

Orange County Community Report (2006) stated that Orange County had the second highest rate of homelessness per capita in the entire United States next to Detroit, MI. As Orange County begins to emerge from the lingering recession, the 2012 report still states that per capita income is down, cost of living is high, and over all business climate measures are weak.

Single mothers are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Many of these homeless single mothers lack the education and skills necessary to become self sufficient. The significance of this problem is that a continuous cycle of homelessness may continue through generations if it is not ended through education and skills to maintain self sufficiency in the community. Colette’s Children’s Home works with homeless women and children to provide emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent housing. Kristi's Hope really like's that they also provide the life skills needed to secure gainful employment, healthy eating, parenting skills, relapse prevention and conflict resolution.

OBJECTIVE:  We designated a couple of weeks towards collecting as many back pack and school supply donations as possible with the goal of preparing the children living at this shelter to go back to school, ready to learn!


RESULT: We had several generous people drop off back packs and school supplies. We were also blessed with the support of Mama’s Place and Thirty One with Samira. Mama’s Place in Huntington Beach offered their store as a drop off location for donations and even offered the chance to win a gift certificate to the store for every donation that was dropped off! Congrats to the lucky winner!! Samira with Thirty One generously offered her commission to fill each insulated lunch box that was purchased/donated with school supplies.  

                           

On Thursday August 13^th, we delivered 40 backpacks filled with pencils, pens, crayons, glue sticks, paper, folders, erasers, calculators, rulers etc… and 15 lunch boxes to Colette’s Children’s Home.

Sweet Cases for Foster Care

OVERVIEW: In 2013 58,699 children entered foster care in California. More specifically 2,388 children entered foster care in Orange County. When children enter foster care, they usually get trash bags to move their few belongings in. Join us to help STOP this in our local community.

The foster care system can be a confusing and sometimes disheartening place, but through our efforts we strive to give foster children a brighter future, a sense of normalcy and belonging. 

OBJECTIVE: Kristi's Hope teamed up with Together We Rise  and created a fundraising page with hopes of raising money to put towards "Sweet Cases" which would then be handed out to children entering foster care. They will use these bags to take their belongings in rather than trash bags. 

RESULT: We raised money for SWEET CASES and collected over $500 in donations! Each sweet case costs $20.00 and includes a Duffel Bag, Hygiene Kit, Blanket, Coloring Books and Crayons. We also received donations of night lights and sidewalk chalk to include in each bag. We the gathered volunteers together and decorated each bag with fun pictures the children will love. 

The following week all the Sweet Cases will be delivered to a local foster care agency so they can be distributed to the children entering foster care.