Kindness M
WHY DO WE HOST COMMUNITY EVENTS? Convoy of Hope helps people all around the world, but we haven’t forgotten our neighbors in need here in the United States. Families and individuals in cities across America are struggling to find hope for their futures. We work to restore that hope. Through Community Events, we form partnerships with businesses, churches, organizations, and individuals who care about their neighbors in need. We provide a multitude of “hand up” opportunities and take care of our guests’ immediate needs at each event. Many times, we see guests arrive at the event downtrodden but leave with hope in their eyes and a skip in their step. Being treated as a “Guest of Honor” can be life changing.
Matters
It’s because of great friends and partners that we have served more than 2.3 million people at Community Events since 1994. Thank you for caring. We can’t do what we do without people like you.
Hal Donaldson President
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A DRIVING PASSION TO FEED THE WORLD Convoy of Hope is a faith-based, non-profit organization with a driving passion to feed the world. Since 1994, Convoy of Hope has served more than 115 million people worldwide. With a goal of bringing hope and help to impoverished, hungry, and hurting people, Convoy of Hope aims to bring communities together during their greatest times of need. This is accomplished through our six main initiatives: Children’s Feeding, Women’s Empowerment, Agriculture, Rural Compassion Initiative, Community Events, and Disaster Services. For more information, visit convoyofhope.org. 4
COMMUNITY EVENTS
A Convoy of Hope Community Event is a united act of compassion that helps families in need. Local churches, businesses, community service, and health organizations partner with us to provide guests with groceries, health services, haircuts, family portraits, job services, veteran services, a kids zone, a hot meal, new children’s shoes, and much more — all at no charge to guests. Approximately $500,000 to $1 million worth of goods and services are provided to the 5,000 to 10,000 Guests of Honor who attend each event. Typically, more than 1,000 volunteers assist to make the event possible. Event guests are served as Guests of Honor. The heart and soul of every Community Event is compassion. Many Guests of Honor are from working families who are either living in poverty or are on the fringes of it. The goal of a Community Event is to help give them a hand up during difficult times. 5
“A Convoy of Hope Community Event is tailored to bring together churches, businesses, organizations, and individuals who care about their neighbors and want to do something to change their city. The event highlights a struggling population, illuminates the issues they face, and provides solutions to assist them. Uniting those who can be catalysts for change is a consistent outcome of our events.” —Michael Redmon, Vice President of Community Events
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COMMUNITY EVENTS
“I loved how intentional the effort was to connect people with sustainable help that will last beyond the event. I love how this event brought together the community. I truly believe this community will not be the same because of Convoy of Hope.” —Jeremiah Storkson, Volunteer
“I see people in my community facing a wide range of “small” needs that can pile up into an overwhelming burden. Convoy of Hope’s recent event offered my community a moment of relief, in the form of groceries, new shoes, kid’s organic food, a hot lunch. And Convoy went still further, providing services and resources that connected my friends and neighbors with a more hopeful future - medical screenings, vaccinations, seeds, warrant forgiveness, and so much more. It was an extraordinary day.” —Amy Meade, Volunteer
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COMMUNITY EVENTS ACTIVITY
1-2
3-5
6-9
10+
NUMBER OF COMMUNITY EVENTS 10
COMMUNITY EVENTS ACTIVITY
SERVED MORE THAN
2.3 MILLION GUESTS PARTNERED WITH
37,625 ORGANIZATIONS 49 STATES 323 CITIES 1,297 EVENTS 11
NEWS & STORIES
TABITHA’S STORY “It’s been about three years since my last haircut. My hair was down to my waist. I have three children with health issues, and it’s hard to save money. Excited for the kids to get new shoes. We greatly appreciate their generosity. If it wasn’t for them, we couldn’t get the things our kids need.” —Tabitha, Guest of Honor
KIM’S STORY “Kids grow so fast that it’s hard to keep buying shoes that won’t fit in a few months. Getting new shoes will help our family. With the money we saved, we can finally buy our children a fun toy to play with during the summer. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s amazing that Convoy helps the community in this area.” —Kim, Guest of Honor
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NEWS & STORIES
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NEWS & STORIES
MICHAEL & ANDREA’S STORY Michael and Andrea are newly married with an infant. They are both working, trying to get “their feet under them,” and establish their family. The couple has a strong support system that encouraged them to attend the Community Event. While there, they received a list of agencies that can assist them financially, picked up groceries, and got seeds to start their own garden. Andrea also spent some time in the National Breast Cancer Foundation tent, where she said she learned about cancer prevention. Both Michael and Andrea enjoyed the day, saying it was a lot of fun for the whole family. 15
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