H.O.P.E. In the Community!
- Details
- Created on Thursday, 27 March 2014 18:16
- Written by Katrina Floranza
LYNDON - Helping Other People Everyday, otherwise known as H.O.P.E., is a small business sitting on the corner of Depot Street in Downtown Lyndon. However, this small business has started numerous programs that show their huge passion for helping out the community.
From providing food to sending out gifts, HOPE keeps in mind all ages of the community, as well as tending to every need. Assistant Manager Sam Klepper, says, "Whenever there's a need, we just try to fill it to the best of our ability. Our hope is to find where the need is and make sure people feel comfortable enough to let us know what they need, so that they aren't going without it."
Many of the programs at HOPE offer assistance to those involved with a life crisis. Such programs include the Backpack Program, Emergency Food Bags, Start-up Packages, and Fire Start-up Packages.
The emergency food bags include food from the shelves at HOPE, while the Backpack Program aims towards children who are suspected of not being fed during the weekend. They are then sent home with a backpack filled with microwavable foods and nutrients for the weekend. The start-up packages are for those who were involved with a domestic violence case or disaster relief and are packaged with silverware, dinnerware, and houseware.
Besides food, HOPE also provides those in need with clothing. There are vouchers for children and adults, regardless of their financial situations. Children have vouchers that are up to $15, while adults have vouchers up to $30. The vouchers for children are available quarterly per child, which allows children to come back during different seasons while also providing them with a new opportunity to purchase new clothing as they continue to grow. HOPE also works with adults to help them find the right clothing, whether it be for casual wear or even upcoming interviews.
"All of these programs, we design them so people can shop in the store, feel comfortable, and get what anyone else can get. They can go shop around the store, bring their clothes up to the front, and no one will even know they're getting a voucher. We want people to feel comfortable."
There are many other programs at HOPE, and with each program comes a number of volunteers from the community. For example, there is one volunteer who comes in once a month to send out birthday baskets to the elderly. Klepper admires, "We have a very great community. If we need something that we don't have, we put it out there. It goes through word of mouth and then it just comes right in."
Klepper thinks that without the community's help, HOPE would not be who they are today. "I have lived all over the East Coast. I think that the Northeast Kingdom is a great community. They come together, all the time. Everybody seems to be looking out for each other here," Klepper says.
After working at HOPE for four years, Sam Klepper believes HOPE teaches life lessons, "I think that HOPE is an amazing place. That's the reason I keep comng back. We look at it like -- you don't know what anybody else is going through until you're going through it yourself. Giving back is a big lesson. It's a whole circle. You may need something every now and then, but you're going to end up giving back as well."
Supplies for these programs are donations from members of the community as well as from employees and volunteers at Helping Other People Everyday.
