Charitable Donations Houston

During my eight years working for Star of Hope Mission, I have watched over and over as homeless clients move from virtually “no hope” with total dependence, to beginning their independent walk in a new life.  Star of Hope is not just a Soup Kitchen in Houston!  We offer Christian Ministries with such services as drug rehabilitation, emergency homeless services, parenting classes, career building classes, for homeless persons and for battered women, men and for families.  We offer care for men, single women and for families at our three homeless shelters and transitional living centers.

Last week I got to meet a young woman who lived here at Star of Hope twelve years ago.  When she came here, she was 4 years old, and she got into a ballet dance program offered by a volunteer.  Her family got back on their feet and now she is married and has three beautiful children.  She was present at the opening of our newly decorated Intake area at Star of Hope’s Women & Family Emergency Shelter.  It was a real blessing to visit and to see how well she is doing now.  She and her family had received a chance to get back on their feet, and they had taken it! 

I hope that you weren’t ever homeless!  But if you had been, wouldn’t it be great to know that there was a place, where people would listen to you, pray with you, cry with you, and try to meet your every need!  Star of Hope is such a place!

Would you consider partnering with us, through offering a prayer for the less fortunate, and through making a contribution?  You can go to Charitable Donations Houston to make a contribution.

 

The Coalition for the Homeless in Houston recently published its 2010 Enumeration of those in our city who are homeless.  Over 40,000 have experienced homelessness in the past year in our city, up 20% from 2009.  With all the Star of Hope has been seeing since spring, it's not surprising that the number of homeless families has doubled since 2009. Now families make up 21% of Houston's homeless population.  The economic downturn has filled Houston's network of emergency bed providers and most transitional living facilities are at or near capacity.  We therefore are finding it much more difficult to find agencies to which to refer families from our emergency shelters.  The system is in gridlock.

I wrote a few weeks ago, wondering if Summer, 2010 would ever end.  I guess you could say the weather is moderating, but we are still sleeping 80 to 100 a night in overflow on the floor of our Women & Family Emergency Shelter downtown, even in mid-September!  This is an extraordinary pattern for this time of year and with the economy still ailing it may be a while until things return to "normal."

As we gear up for the Holidays, please keep us in mind if you'd like to volunteer, do a kids' toy drive or make a special financial gift for our men, women and children at Star of Hope this Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And, most of all, please pray for those who are starting over in the safety of Star of Hope.  God is "At Work" here every day, changing lives, one by one. Come and serve with us, and you will see and be blessed yourself!  I guarantee you'll leave here counting your blessings and will have helped someone through your service!

For those of you who turned out for the Star of Hope “Can” Film Festival at Miller Outdoor Theater last Saturday evening to watch The Blind Side, here’s a great, big SHOUT-OUT of thanks for braving the heat and celebrating a Summer of Hope with us.
 
We love it that you put us on your weekend itinerary, brought can goods and took the “SOH” to 20222 text challenge, which delivered $10 to Star of Hope with every tap of the “send” button.  (And by the way, your text dollars were doubled, thanks to a very generous donor).   It was a cool event – temperature notwithstanding — and a wonderful time to hang out under the stars and watch a fabulous flick with a message we can all embrace. 

You can’t imagine what an amazing site it was for those of us who work at Star of Hope to see so many folks and families spread over the grassy hillside and in the seats, supporting this event.  Because—bottom line—it’s all about the people in our midst who have so little, the homeless many who come to our doors in desperate need of help, sometimes just to get through the day.  We never know when, and under what circumstances, we will need to reach out to others for help, because life has taken us to a hard, dry place.  But isn’t it nice to know that we live in a town where “reaching out” is more than a phrase?  It’s the Houston way.

So blessings to you and to Dana Tyson of SUNNY 99.1, Bill Ingram and Jen Driskill from KSBJ, and the dynamic Deborah Duncan from KHOU.  WE LOVE YOU!

Learn more about Star of Hope and ways to give at Charitable Donations Houston.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I am not conscience of how blessed I am that my family and I have the things we need to sustain us.  Working at Star of Hope keeps me mindful, humble, and grateful.  I see the homeless come by the hundreds on a daily basis, suffering from so much lack, many of them parents with young children, and I know that God put me here to help them.

One of my responsibilities is to locate sources for stocking our shelves with the items needed to properly care for our clients.  That has always proven to be a rewarding pursuit, mainly because Houston is such a generous town.  I remember how intimidated I was when I first arrived here from the East Coast, knowing nothing about the personality of the city, its people, or how to ask for their support.  I fully expected to be politely turned down.   So I wrote out a script with God-fatherly intent: to make an offer they couldn’t refuse; in this case, an offer that would open their hearts to a message of help.  Well, a funny thing happened.  I never got to use my script, because the answers I got were, “Yes,” and, “Is there anything more I can do?” 

Those of you who are faithful readers of our blogs know that, in this economy, our donations have dropped as our client numbers continue to rise.  Right now, our family shelters are in dire need of diapers.  “Dire” might seem like an overstatement,  in reference to diapers, but I assure you it is not.  We use 1,500 diapers a month on hundreds of little bottoms.  We could sure use your help in keeping them fresh and dry.  If anyone would like to host a diaper drive for the babies at Star of Hope, please contact us at 713-440-5341, or by email cratliff@sohmission.org.  I, for one, would be so thankful; besides, I threw away my old Godfather script.

Recently, we switched our Yellow Cab Ads. Have you noticed? We now offer ANOTHER option in our Ways to Give collection. You can now INSTANTLY donate $10 to help Star of Hope help the homeless in Houston. Just text "SOH" to 20222. It's that simple - and that important to us.

We call this campaign "The Summer of Hope" and we feature a cute little girl (an actual client) pretty in pink with a smile that would melt an iceberg. But if we showed you the hundreds of children without homes this summer - right here in Houston - you wouldn't see many smiles. You'd see frowns and sparks of panic and fear in their eyes.
 
Houston is without question, one of the most generous cities in America. But even Space City has communication problems. Folks don't realize that SUMMER is our busiest and most challenging time of the year. SUMMER is when homeless families that have been holding out in apartments without lights - give up and go to a shelter because of the heat. Or, a homeless family has been staying with friends or relatives to keep the kids in school but now its SUMMER and they're asked to leave - and live on the street - or in our shelter.

A few nights ago, IN ADDITION to the 1,000 homeless men, women and children sheltered in our facilities, 106 women and children slept in our atrium at the downtown  Star of Hope Women and Family Emergency Shelter. I believe that's a record - and a chilling sign of our times.

Help us make this a SUMMER of HOPE For these folks. Text your $10 or better yet - dig a little deeper if you can and assist us in overcoming what is now a $700,000 deficit this year.

God bless and inspire you - and thank you.

Learn about other ways to give. Visit Charitable Donations Houston

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.
 

When a teenager comes into Star of Hope with his or her family, they will receive many things that they need from shampoo to a uniform for school. But I feel the greatest gift that they will receive while they live here at the Women and Family Shelter is something that I give to them. Almost every teen that has come through our doors has received a Bible! Many of the teens that come through here have lost their Bible while moving around and some have never owned one at all. So, it becomes a source of great joy to give a teen a Bible.

Well, something amazing happened when I came to the shelter today. One of my co-workers came up to me and said that there were boxes of Bibles for the teens that came in. This was unusual, because normally I have means of finding free Bibles (used or new) to give the teens. Well, I went and found the Bibles that were set aside for the teens. To my surprise, I found four boxes of Bibles containing a total of 136 Bibles! And these were not the normal paperback Bibles that I usually have to give the teens. Instead, these Bibles were unopened, leather bound, and compact so they can be easily carried around. I was completely amazed and filled with joy as I imagined one of the teens carrying one to school with them or reading it in their room.
Through my surprise, I realized that someone out there really blessed many teens living at this shelter. And who knows how many will be blessed by these teens that will take God's Word into their schools and homes. I thank God for those who generously give of what God has blessed them with so that others too can receive of that blessing. If you would like to see our needs and see how you can help, click Charitable Donations Houston

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:10-11- copied from one of those Bibles!) 

Did you ever hear a Catwalk purr? Well, if you have never attended the Star of Hope Haute for Hope Luncheon and Fashion Show, now’s your chance.  This is not your typical ramp show.  In this show, the stars come out at noon to light up the runway with the hautest in Spring clothing, all to raise money for the Star of Hope Children’s Critical Care Fund. The CCCF is our vehicle for providing everything youngsters need, to make their lives as normal and healthy as possible, while they are in our care.

Hosting the show are Greg Hurst, Evening News Anchor for Channel 11, and Dana Tyson, the SUNNY 99.1 Morning Show Host. Lucy Noland, also a Channel 11 Evening News Anchor, will welcome everyone and kick off the show.

And while there won’t be any fur flying, there will be lots of stylin’ from the stars of Houston’s broadcast and print media. You’ll see all of Houston’s top news and entertainment personalities looking like the cat’s meow, as they model the latest from BB1 Classic, Elizabeth Anthony-Esther Wolf Collection, Gayla Bentley, and M Penner.

But wait, there’s more!  We have Harry Sheppard, world-renowned vibraphonist to add a little smooth jazz to the occasion, and a special guest appearance by one of the world’s most sought after, elegant women and member of the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame.
 
Check out Charitable Donations Houston for date and place. Register Online and come Catwalking with us. It’s about Hope!
 

A great way to help the homeless is by donating needed items to an emergency shelter or long-term program. Also, consider organizing a collection drive with your friends, church, colleagues, school or organization.

Star of Hope Mission's urgent needs for this week include:

• Women’s Deodorant
• Shaving Cream
• Razors
• Blue Label Similac
• Flashlights & Batteries
• Pull Ups (2t, 3t, 4t).

Thank you for helping!

Coordinate a drive for needed items: Volunteering Houston. View our current needs list: Donating To Charitable Organizations
 

You gotta love the folks at Marriott International and Glazier Foods. Together, they delivered 5 tons of much-needed, non-perishable food to our Storehouse and unloaded every box, bag, and bundle by hand—well with a little help from a fork lift.

This was a definite hallelujah moment for our kitchen staff and all of Star of Hope, for that matter, because with nearly 1,000 hungry, homeless men, women, and children to feed, daily, the words “5 tons” weighs in at the top of the blessings scale.

This is the fourth year that Marriott has rallied their family of hotels around the city to help the homeless at Star of Hope, through their Spirit to Serve initiative, collecting thousands of pounds of food for the people in our shelters. But this year, Glazier Foods upped the ante by matching Marriott’s effort pound for pound, doubling the donation and making it an awesome feed-for-all. 

Thank you Marriott International and Glazier Foods. You are a friend indeed.

Watch the video: Donating To Charitable Organizations Houston

Friendswood Community Church has blessed our organization with 15,000 dollars to refurbish our Computer Learning Center at the Men's Development Center.   Today applications and tools are on the Internet so we are moving away from our old fat client desktop computer model that loaded down the desktop with applications like typing tutorials and Microsoft Office applications model to a web tools based model that will take advantage of free Google Applications such as Google Docs and Microsoft Office Live. The men will be taught how to find and leverage resources on the Internet to build resumes and find jobs. During the course of their stay they keep journals and document their life history all of which will be saved secure online so when they leave they will know how to access their data from any computer.  I was pleased to find out that the men that work in our labs are serious and dedicated to skills building and are committed to learning about computers and the Internet. Many of these men have never had the opportunity to own or even touch a computer and we all know that even basic jobs will leave these guys behind if they don't have this opportunity.

We are so thankful for the donation and we are going to use the opportunity to bring an experience to our clients that will continue to change their lives for the better.

Learn more about Star of Hope and how you can help by visiting Charitable Organizations Houston.

Just last week, our city showed its HEART once again, with a great Thanksgiving Parade and meals galore around downtown for Houston’s families in need. Check out Houstonians flock to Turkey Day events in Houston Chronicle and you can see how wonderfully our city reaches out to all in our community! This spirit of generosity goes on every day of the year. I know… I see it here at Star of Hope on a daily basis. Houstonians call us, wanting to learn more about the work of the Star of Hope, and they come and see all that God is doing here with His People… those who’ve lost their way and need someone to come along side of them and help. It’s truly amazing to see!

This year, Star of Hope has ministered to over 5,500 homeless people, and two thirds of these are women and families! With the souring of the Houston job market and the effects of the broader economic downturn, this number is 1,000 people higher than just last year — or, in other words, 1,000 new faces arriving at our doors we’ve never seen before. God’s provision and your generous donations of food and clothing, have made it possible for us to operate with about the same budget as we had in 2008.

This is a huge blessing for which we are very grateful, because caring for so many in a difficult economy has its challenges. In fact, serving the extra 1,000 new faces… men, women & children… has cost incrementally about $500 per person on the average over our base budget.

And while we have experienced record levels of in-kind donations, we have been facing a shortfall in cash donations over the past few months. So, as we head into the Christmas season, if you’d like to help us in a uniquely special way this December, how about sponsoring one of these 1,000 new souls who have come our way this year? Visit Charitable Donations Houston to make a $100, $250 or even a $500 gift… knowing it’s a truly special gift for one of these in need!

Christmas time is a wonderful time at Star of Hope. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we work this Blessed Season to make Christmas 2009 a Blessed Memory in the lives of those we are serving now!