volunteering

I was young and eager to help, and foolish.

I signed up to join a small team of Christian men to serve at a men’s shelter in the Bronx because I thought that I could offer something. It was the early 1990s and my twenty-something heart hungered to care for guys who had a difficult life, had struggled with addiction, or been to jail.

So when our group walked to the shelter from the subway, I anticipated conversations where I would offer my caring encouragement, teach these guys about the Bible, help them get on with their life. Wow, I was wrong.

In 1995, Hope for New York created and launched its annual Christmas outreach “His Toy Store” to provide toys and gifts for families in need across New York City. In recent years, HFNY has worked with affiliates and church partners who provide space to host pop-up stores from Brooklyn to the Bronx. Each pop-up store is “owned” by a HFNY partner church, and is planned by a volunteer committee from that church.

Hope for New York had its annual Fall Benefit on Thursday, October 10 at The High Line Hotel. The inspiring night included affiliate stories from Stella Reed (Executive Director of Dream Center NYC), an encouraging talk on the verse Micah 6:8 by Dr. Michael Keller (Pastor of Redeemer Lincoln Square), and musical performances by Liz Vice and Mason Jar Music.