Eric Reece
Many of the blessings we use in the church are from scriptures that offer hope.
The apostle Paul closed the letter of Romans with a word of hope, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
It is a gift to offer hope to others. The hope we offer is not a false hope, because it is from God. Hope keeps us looking forward to the good changes that can happen in our lives and community. Because of the promises of God, we have hope for many things that will be fulfilled in God’s time. I cannot imagine a world without hope.
There is a new organization in Graham County that offers hope.The Reigniting Hope Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded earlier in the year, with the goal of “Bringing people hope who feel they have none.”
Along with hope, they offer hospitality to those who come into their door. The office is on Rodney Orr Bypass, next to Wendy’s.
Founder Tracey Jones lost two family members who suffered from substance-use disorders. From the loss came the desire to help others struggling with a number of problems that can cause them to lose hope and spiral downward. This includes supporting people in recovery, those seeking recovery and those who are homeless or struggling to meet daily necessities.
One of Reigniting Hope’s first endeavors was to offer a meal on Saturday evenings. Soup and sandwiches were on the menu and they went out into the community to give them out. As word got out about the meal, people came to eat or carry out a great meal.
The people who come and receive meals have risen from a few to over 100. In addition to a weekly meal, non-perishable food is given out to those at request. Their food pantry depends on donations from the community and it doesn’t hurt to donate a few can openers – which always seem to be in short supply.
The foundation’s services are not limited to food. They work to respond to people’s needs as they arise. Whether it be clothes, hygiene items, baby formulas or glucose tablets, it is always amazing how individual needs are met.
An important service in keeping with their mission is encouraging and helping people who chose to enter into recovery. It takes lots of courage and preparation to enter into a program to recover and get on the right path. One of the most important things is to have support and encouragement to take that first step and complete the program. This encouragement and support can save someone’s life.
Their next undertaking is to prepare Thanksgiving meals for those in the community who are struggling. This will be quite a feat, and the hope is the community will donate plenty of stuffing and gravy to go around.
Reigniting Hope depends on the generosity of the kind folks of Graham County to fulfill their mission. They gladly accept donations to help those in need.
You may contact them by liking their Facebook page; or by email, reignitinghopefoundationnc@gmail.com.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church and can be reached via email, ereece@wnccumc.net.