Caring For The Homeless

• Families looking for assistance (some who are living in their cars!)
• Donors needing to know an address to mail a check or a location to drop off clothes or other needed items
• Individuals, groups and organization wanting to know how they can serve.

This morning Star of Hope's IT department delivered a Christmas Tree for formerly-homeless families and individuals in our New Horizons ministry:

"New Horizons is the future made possible in the present for qualifying clients who need a bridge from transitional living to total self-sufficiency. The first of its kind in Houston, New Horizons is the road to permanent housing in a mainstream setting for formerly homeless individuals and families re-entering society after leaving Star of Hope’s Transitional Living Programs."

What a great joy to do it. Happy Christmas to everyone at New Horizons!

Learn more about Star of Hope's New Horizons by visiting www.sohmission.org or reading
Hope Floats Up -- a blog written by Erika Wise, the program's director.
 
Charitable Donations Houston

1.     Organize a drive for Christmas Gifts. Items are needed by December 10.
    
2.     Donate online to provide Christmas Gifts. Visit Star of Hope’s Christmas Gift Catalog.
    
3.     Create We Care Houston Packages and give them to homeless men and women you see on the streets.
    
4.     Give $10 by texting “SOH” to 20222. Encourage your friends to do it too!
    
5.     Provide warm and nutritious meals for only $1.63 each.
    
6.     Volunteer to serve a meal at one of Star of Hope’s facilities. We serve 3 meals a day, 365 days a year.
    
7.     Host a drive and a contest...Pillow Fight: Who can gather the most new pillows and pillow cases?
    
8.     TP the Mission: What?... Host a drive for toilet paper.
    
9.     Use your professional skills to help the homeless.
    
10.     Undies for Change: We always need NEW socks and underwear for men and women.
     
11.     Pray for our homeless veterans who are living on the streets.
     
12.     Provide a day of care… food, clothing, shelter and more.
     
13.     Home and Dry: Collect new linens and blankets for twin beds. Make Star of Hope feel more like home.
     
14.     Tell your friends why you care for the homeless and why you support Star of Hope.
     
15.     Pray with and for homeless children who are praying for a home.
     
16.     Pray for the men and women at Star of Hope who are on the road to recovery and a new life.
     
17.     Could you commit to working one shift a week? Become a High Impact Volunteer.
     
18.     Share your support for Star of Hope on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. We appreciate it!
     
19.     Like working with kids? You and your group can host a children’s activity at Star of Hope.
     
20.     A volunteer opportunity for the whole family… Cookies and Good Night.
     
21.     The donated clothing we receive needs to be sorted. Come serve in our Storehouse.
     
22.     We answer a lot of phone calls! Volunteer in our Call Center.
     
23.     Looking for a last minute Christmas Gift. Help the homeless and send your friends Christmas eCards.
     
24.     Get Up and Go: Host a drive for job-interview-worthy women’s clothing size 22 and up.
     
25.     It’s not too late to give a year-end gift. Donate online and help Houston’s homeless.

• Donation Drive Coordinator: Organize a drive for needed items at your work, school, church, organization or in your neighborhood.
• Team for Hope: Be a friend on Social Media and help us share stories and needs.
• Prayer Partners: Pray, pray, pray. Enough said!

If you missed it in the mail a couple of weeks ago, Star of Hope’s July Newsletter – The Light – is online.

This issue includes:
- Where Big Dreams Start - A message from Hank Rush
- Freed by the Truth
- Thank  you for packing their lives with promise!  
- School Supplies for Success!                                   
- Think About the Dollar in Your  Pocket — by Elizabeth Calvert Hickman                 
- Tribute Gifts           
- Sharing Their Blessings: Mark and Lisa Ammerman
                                   
There’s still time to send a note of encouragement for children at Star of Hope who start back to school on August 23. Please post your note along with the others and we will give them to the children before school starts.
 

Go to www.sohmission.org for ways to get involved and donate to
Charity Houston for the homeless, Star of Hope Mission.

What would you say if you had the opportunity to share a few words of encouragement with a child receiving care at Star of Hope? This is an opportunity for you to do just that.

Next month children from Women & Family Emergency Shelter, Transitional Living Center and New Horizons will head back to school.  Thanks to the generous support of friends and donors, every one of these children will step onto the bus and into their classroom with everything they need to succeed. New school uniforms, new shoes and a backpack full of supplies!

You can add to their excitement and joy by writing a short note of encouragement for the school age children at Star of Hope. Please take a moment and “Leave a comment” on this blog. We will print your note, along with others we receive, and give them to the children before the first day of school.

Thanks for caring and making a difference in these children's lives!

School Donations Houston: Ways to get involved and help a child succeed:
- Send a note of encouragement to a child on this blog.
- If you receive our July Newsletter in the mail, write a note on the enclosed backpack tag and send it back to us.
- Donate financially to provide needed items and continued care throughout the school year.
- Coordinate a drive for school supplies or other urgent needs.
- Spread the word! Tell your friends about all of these opportunities to change a child’s life.
 

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to ride along with Charles Williams in Star of Hope’s Love In Action Van.  For several years Charles has been hitting the streets of Houston and inviting the homeless to “come inside” to find hope, shelter and an opportunity for a fresh start. It was amazing to see how many of the homeless men we talked with know him by name.  As we handed out water, over and over I heard the words, “Thank you, Charles.”

One man, a Veteran from San Antonio, had been in Houston for a couple of days. As we drove him to the Star of Hope Men’s Development Center he told us he was waiting for an apartment to open up and only needed help for a couple of weeks. Someone had recommended not going to Star of Hope, “They’ll just take your name and tell you to come back in three days.” He had been sleeping in a sleeping bag on a floor. That night he slept in a bed!

Many of those Charles invites to the shelter tell him the same thing, “I'll come in a couple of days” or “Maybe next week.”  He patiently keeps going out and continues to invite. “You never know,” he says, “Today may be the day they say ‘yes.’”

Currently, Charles is giving water donated by I AM Waters Foundation. Check them out at iamwaters.com. The foundation has pledged to donate 35,000 bottles of water to Star of Hope over the summer months.

Discover ways to make this summer a Summer of Hope for Houston’s homeless:
Houston Non Profit Donations and Volunteer Opportunities
 

For your convenience we have put together a list of ways you can give financial donations to Star of Hope Mission.  A little over a week ago we added mobile giving or text-to-give to the lineup. On your mobile phone, simply text "SOHM" to 20222 and donate $10 to help the poor and homeless in our community.

What are some of the other ways to give?
• Give online at www.sohmission.org
• Donate with PayPal
• Set up a monthly recurring gift (Credit Card or EFT)
• Put  your check in the mail
• Call and give by credit card over the phone
• Download the appropriate form at Ways To Give and FAX it to us
• Double your gift through your employer's matching gift program
• Donate stocks, bonds, real estate or other investments
• Remember Star of Hope and Houston's homeless in your will or bequest. Go to our Gift Planning site for more information and to get started.

Please visit Charitable Donations Houston for a full list of Ways To Give... including addresses, phone numbers and forms. Thank you for caring and giving. Your gifts truly make a difference in the lives of those we serve together. 

Star of Hope Mission is a 501(c)(3) organization and all gifts are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.