New Kitchen Construction Progress
The new commercial kitchen for Hope’s Corner is well underway! The current schedule is for completion in March 2019. The new kitchen will be nearly double in size, include a walk-in refrigerator, commercial dishwasher and laundry room. The exterior improvements include a new ramp to the Hope Street parking lot (completed in October), repairs to the sidewalks and curb ramp surrounding the property on three sides and a level interior courtyard between the Sanctuary and the kitchen. Anyone who has wheeled a service cart between the Sanctuary and the old kitchen will appreciate this! The new kitchen will enable Hope’s Corner to expand and improve our services to those in need. Check back to this page to see photo update of the progress.
Hope's Corner Kitchen & Laundry Construction to Start Soon!
On Tuesday July 24, representatives from Hope's Corner, LAUMC, Trinity UMC, the City of Mountain View, Santa Clara County, CHAC, HomeFirst, the Housing Trust Silicon Valley, and our newest partners, Google, gathered in the sanctuary at Trinity to celebrate the completion of funding and the imminent start of our long-planned kitchen remodel project.
The generous $1 million contribution from Google was the final key piece of a $2 million plan to offer a cold weather shelter, on-site meal preparation, showers, case management services and job training all under one roof at Trinity UMC.
We are extremely grateful to Google and to all of our donors and supporters for helping us reach this milestone. County Supervisor Joe Simitian and his team deserve special thanks for working tirelessly to secure commitments from all of our partners.
Phase 1 of the construction will begin shortly. Phase 1 will include a new kitchen and laundry room. You can see the basic plan here and a section here.
You can read more about the funding milestone in the Mountain View Voice, the Los Altos Town Crier and the San Jose Mercury News.
Hope's Corner Groundbreaking Celebration for Kitchen and Laundry on July 24
Come and celebrate with us!
Hope's Corner and Trinity United Methodist Church invite you to join us for a Groundbreaking Celebration on July 24 at 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at Trinity United Methodist Church, 748 Mercy Street, Mountain View. Please RSVP on Eventbrite at: https://hopes-corner-groundbreaking.eventbrite.com.
A new kitchen and laundry facilities will support a wide range of outreach and social services to the community.
Light refreshments will be served.
Cold Weather Shelter to Open on December 23
The Cold Weather Shelter for families and women located at Trinity United Methodist Church will open on December 23. The completion of the necessary work for the Shelter was a very collaborative effort between many organizations, including Trinity United Methodist Church, Hope's Corner serving as construction manager, Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing, Supervisor Joe Simitian's Office, HomeFirst and the City of Mountain View. Hope's Corner's design team that has been working on the plans for the Hope's Corner kitchen stepped up to oversee the fire alarm work for the Shelter. We are also grateful to Best Electric and Fire Detection Unlimited for putting in long hours to get the improvements installed quickly.
For more information about the Shelter, click here. You can read more about the shelter and how it and Hope's Corner are part of the "Hope & Mercy Resource Center" in the press release from Supervisor Simitian's office.
Meet Bill and Elsa
Bill and Elsa recently explained how Hope's Corner has provided them with a place to find community, in addition to a meal and a shower. The video has been generously provided by KMTV.
See the video here.
Cold Weather Shelter Approved
On October 25, 2017, the City of Mountain View approved a Cold Weather Shelter for families and women, including up to 50 people, to be located at Trinity United Methodist Church. The Shelter will be funded by Santa Clara County and operated by HomeFirst. Hope's Corner is collaborating with the County and HomeFirst to have the required fire alarm improvements installed and to adjust Hope's Corner operations to work with the shelter's needs. Admission to the shelter will be by referral only so that once families or women are accepted, they will know they have a stable place for the winter. This will also facilitate connections with support services. There will be opportunities for volunteers to support the shelter by providing dinners and other support that will be announced when the starting date for the shelter is confirmed.
Toys Needed for Hope's Corner Children's Christmas Party
Hope's Corner is sponsoring our 6th Annual Hope’s Corner Children’s Christmas Party on December 16. We invite area families in need to come celebrate with us and give parents an opportunity to put something special under the tree for their children. To ensure that we can make a difference for dozens of children in our community, please donate to our annual Christmas Toy Drive through December 15.
New, unwrapped gifts for children ages 1-18 and $20-25 gift cards for teenagers will be accepted December 13-15 from 3-5 p.m. at the Los Altos United Methodist Church parking lot (655 Magdalena Ave.) and at Trinity United Methodist Church on December 15, 9-11 am.
Area community groups and organizations are encouraged to organize their own toy drives to benefit the Hope's Corner Christmas Toy Drive. You can download our Toy Drive Flyer.
If you have any questions about the Christmas Toy Drive or the annual Christmas party, please contact us.
Hope's Corner Serves 50,000 Meals
On November 4, 2017, Hope's Corner celebrated serving the 50,000th meal since offering free breakfasts on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at the corner of Hope and Mercy Streets. Hope's Corner has come a long way in the intervening six years! Our Saturday breakfast crowd has grown from an average of 28 people each week in 2011 to approximately 200 each week. In 2015, new restrooms with showers were added so that the homeless have a clean and secure place to shower. In 2016, shower service was increased from one to two days per week. Through a collaboration with the Community Services Agency, a case manager is available to shower users on Thursdays. In 2016, the service location for the meals was moved from the Fellowship Hall into the larger Sanctuary where guests can now be seated at round tables providing more elbow room. Hope's Corner continues to address the need for food assistance in our community, which continues to grow as one of the effects of the high cost of housing.
Hope's Corner Adds New Donation Option
Donors who wish to donate stocks to Hope's Corner can now do so directly. Stockholders who are likely to realize significant gains may realize some tax benefits in donating stock rather than cashing them in and donating cash. Prior to donating, stockholders should check with their tax accountants or financial planners. Instructions for donating stocks can be found on our Donate page.
Looking Back at 2016
Many people consider 2016 a difficult year, but at Hope's Corner, we have many things to be thankful for. Because of the generosity of our donors, we were able to feed more people and provide more showers to the homeless than ever before. We're also thankful to the dozens of volunteers who make it possible for us to continue our mission. For a look back at what we accomplished last year with your help -- and what we have to look forward to in 2017 -- check out our video.
Donations Needed for Annual Christmas Toy Drive
Hope's Corner is sponsoring our 5th Annual Hope’s Corner Children’s Christmas Party on December 17. We invite area families in need to come celebrate with us and give parents an opportunity to put something special under the tree for their children. To ensure that we can make Christmas morning for dozens of children in our community, please donate to our annual Christmas Toy Drive through December 16.
New, unwrapped gifts for children ages 1-18 and $20-25 gift cards for teenagers will be accepted December 13-16 from 3-5 p.m. at the Los Altos United Methodist Church parking lot (655 Magdalena Ave.).
Area community groups and organizations are encouraged to organize their own toy drives to benefit the Hope's Corner Christmas Toy Drive. For more information about how to plan your own event, please click here.
Toys will also be collected as part of the annual Jingle Run hosted by On Your Mark. Individuals and families can enjoy this fun 5K while helping area kids by bringing a new, unwrapped toy on the day of the race.
If you have any questions about the Christmas Toy Drive or the annual Christmas party, please contact us at info@hopes-corner.org.
Giving Tuesday is November 29
Hope's Corner is participating in Giving Tuesday, a nationwide initiative to support important causes during the holiday season. After the excitement of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to give a gift to non-profit causes that are important to you.
We hope that you'll support Hope's Corner with a donation of any size. In addition to helping us provide food and showers for those in need, your donation will help us expand our services. For years, we've been working on a fund to build an operational onsite kitchen. Right now, volunteers have to store and heat the food at the Los Altos United Methodist Church early Saturday morning and transport it to Mountain View in time for our 8 a.m. meal. The amount of effort limits our ability to expand the number of meals we serve. When the new kitchen is complete, we'll be able to do more to help the most vulnerable people in our community.
You can help us reach our goal by donating here. You can also help us by sharing the page with your family and friends via social media.
Watch the Hope's Corner Documentary
Inspired by their experiences at Hope's Corner, two talented young filmmakers from Freestyle Academy recently made a documentary called "At the Corner of Hope and Mercy" that focuses on our efforts to help the hungry and homeless in Mountain View. Featuring interviews with Hope's Corner guests and volunteers, the short film provides a glimpse into the realities of the needy in our community. It also demonstrates the impact Hope's Corner has on the lives of our guests as well as our volunteers.
Weekday Showers Begin June 23
Starting June 23, Hope's Corner will be making free showers available for the homeless in Mountain View on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Currently, showers are open on Saturday mornings during our weekly breakfast times, but a recent survey found that most of our guests don't have access to a shower during the week.
To use the shower facility, guests can come to 748 Mercy Street during the scheduled times and sign up for a 15-minute spot. Towels, soap, shampoo, and other personal care items are provided.
Volunteers 18 and older are needed to help facilitate check in/check out. Sign ups are available on our volunteer page. If you have any questions, you can leave us a note on our contact page.
Free Seamless Summer Meals for Kids
Mountain View Whisman School District is helping to ensure that area kids don't go hungry when the school year ends with Seamless Summer Meals. Children ages 1 to 18 can get a free breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday at three area locations.
Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Locations and dates (please note: all locations are closed July 4):
Trinity Church, 748 Mercy Street
June 13 to August 5
Theuerkauf Elementary School, 1625 San Luis Avenue
June 13 to July 22
Stevenson Elementary School, 750 "B" San Pierre Way
June 13 to July 22
To volunteer at the Trinity Church location, you can sign up using the Hope's Corner sign up page.
For more information about other sites in the area, please call Food and Nutrition Services at 526-3585, ext. 2630.
Hope's Corner Receives $5,000 Matching Grant
Hope's Corner's 2016 SVGives campaign is off to a strong start this year thanks to an anonymous donor who has pledged a $5,000 matching grant. Please help us collect this generous donation by supporting Hope's Corner during SVGives on May 3. Your donation will go twice as far in helping us feed the growing number of food-insecure people in our community.
Hope's Corner to Participate in SVGives
For the third year in a row, Hope's Corner is participating in Silicon Valley Gives on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. SVGives is a 24-hour online fundraising effort hosted by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to easily connect donors with charitable causes. This year we especially need your support to help us collect a matching grant of $20,000.
With the help of generous donors and volunteers, we've accomplished a lot since our last campaign, but the need in our community continues to grow. Between 2014 and 2015, the average number of hungry people we serve increased by more than 30%, and that trend seems to be continuing for 2016. As rents in Mountain View and across Santa Clara County continue to rise at an alarming rate, more people are finding themselves homeless and/or unable to afford nutritious food.
Please mark your calendar to support Hope's Corner on May 3 during SVGives and share this with your family and friends. This is also a good time to check with your employer to see if they offer matching donations that would double your contribution. More details will be coming soon.
AmazonSmile will Donate to Hope's Corner
If you shop at Amazon, you can now use AmazonSmile to have Amazon donate 0.5% of your purchase price to Hope's Corner. Click on the link below and select Hope's Corner Inc as your charity to support. Thanks!
New Record for Breakfasts Served: 306
The number of guests served by Hope's Corner each Saturday reached a new record of 306 on January 16! Our numbers have continued to grow as more people find themselves squeezed by the increasing cost of housing as well as hear about the delicious and nutritious food we serve. The annual averages have steadily increased since Hope's Corner opened in September 2011, serving 28 people per week to our average for 2015 of 231 people served per week.
