Thirsting for Hope

The headlines these days are full of bad news about the economy. But at Hope Ministries, we don’t need to read the paper to know times are tough—and getting tougher—for our poorest and most vulnerable neighbors in Central Iowa.

We see it every day as a growing number of homeless men, women and children turn to us for a meal, a bed and a way to get back on their feet.

Now, more than ever, the homeless are thirsting for help to get through the grueling summer months when they face dehydration, heat-related illnesses and the threat of increased violence. And they are thirsting for long-term hope—someone or something to help them overcome the problems that forced them onto the streets in the first place.

The fact is, when the economy hits hard times, the homeless and poor are the first to feel the pain. Here in our own backyard, they are feeling the pain this summer.

They’re coming to us with a variety of pressing needs. Some lost their jobs during company cutbacks or lost their homes in the housing mortgage crisis. Others who live paycheck to paycheck have been capsized by the mounting cost of fuel, groceries and other necessities.

As if the surge in people seeking assistance wasn’t a big enough challenge for us to face, we’re seeing a national decline in the amount of money folks are donating to organizations like Hope Ministries. That means front-line ministries like ours have an escalating number of people to care for, but fewer resources with which to meet the growing demand.

Some might panic in light of a potential challenge like this. But at Hope Ministries we have two reasons to be confident we will consistently meet the needs presented to us:

We trust in our great and mighty God, who is able to perform miracles far greater than we can imagine. And we can turn to compassionate, loyal friends like you for financial support and prayer. We believe our donors will continue to follow God’s command to care for “the least of these” as they have since 1915.