2021 and 2022 Mission Opportunities:
LOCAL:
We are now connected with the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging (ENOA). This provides us an opportunity to perform quick hit community support right here at home. If you are interested in joining, please use the "Contact Us" button and indicate ENOA. We will guide you through their process to become part of the team.
REGIONAL:
Following Hurricane Ida (which hit 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina) we are working with multiple volunteer and support teams in the impacted areas. Our primary focus is being refined daily to focus on the very small costal communities southwest of New Orleans. Many homes were completely devastated. The initial plans are for trips on three successive weeks in February/March. More to come. If you would like to be part of our mailing list to learn more as this materializes, just click the "Contact Us" button and indicate Louisiana!
We are now connected with the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging (ENOA). This provides us an opportunity to perform quick hit community support right here at home. If you are interested in joining, please use the "Contact Us" button and indicate ENOA. We will guide you through their process to become part of the team.
REGIONAL:
Following Hurricane Ida (which hit 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina) we are working with multiple volunteer and support teams in the impacted areas. Our primary focus is being refined daily to focus on the very small costal communities southwest of New Orleans. Many homes were completely devastated. The initial plans are for trips on three successive weeks in February/March. More to come. If you would like to be part of our mailing list to learn more as this materializes, just click the "Contact Us" button and indicate Louisiana!
Outreach in Houston - MAY 2021:
HOUSTON/Texas City - 2021 -
We teamed up with a coalition of Omaha churches and Orphan Grain Train of Norfolk, NE to become “Team Nebraska” for this mission.. In Texas we assisted two non-profits, Fuller Center-Disaster Rebuilders and 4B Disaster Response Network (located in Texas City, TX). They are responding to the havoc created when in February, freezing temperatures swept deep into Texas causing the…. “Texas Frozen Pipe Disaster”.
Millions of homes experienced frozen, then shattered pipes and the water damage due to what they call Winter Storm Uri.
We sent two teams for a week each on both May 10 and May 17. We fanned out around several towns on the southeast side for Houston. 4B Disaster Response in League City, TX is renovating a large building into offices, a volunteer housing/kitchen facility and warehouse for ongoing assistance. We were more than happy to assist with "Demo Day" on walls for an afternoon, making way to build sleeping quarters.
As we assisted a lady who was still living on second floor of her home we found out that she was still upstairs due to flooding that she experienced from Hurricane Harvey in 2017! Her walls had been finished, cabinets and sinks were being installed, so we hung doors, painted and began installing trim before we left. Most homes had up to a dozen huge holes chopped in the walls and ceilings where plumbing crews had to broken through to access pipes. We spent a good amount of time assisting a man who had recently been confined to a wheelchair. We were able to install a ramp up to his back door so he could get in and out, replaced the door as it was no longer secure, removed and replaced his kitchen cabinets and replaced sheetrock on his walls. He needed a lot of help so we had a team working at his home both weeks.
2019 and 2020 Summary:
March 15, 2019 was the beginning of significant flooding from North central Nebraska all the way to the Southeast corner of the state plus flooding across the river into Iowa. Heavy rain on top of record snow fall, coupled with 60 degree temperatures melted nearly the entire snow base in 2 days. Waters ran wildly as the ground was frozen solid. Next, levees and dams broke which created walls of water and amplified the water volume heading into already flooded areas.
2019 was very busy as 191 volunteers shared 3,695 service hours with 22 families and their communities, from Pacific Junction, Iowa (2,510 hours) to Bellevue, NE/Valley (480 hours), and initially three trips (Feb to March) to Houston, TX. (705 hours).
In 2020, we worked in smaller teams through July, contribute another additional 800 hours in Pacific Junction, but we wrapped up due to Covid-19 concerns.
From February through September 2020 we also became a furniture donations conduit between Omaha and Pacific Junction, taking several trailer loads of furniture to those in need. We worked through a trusted resident who helped us match the donations to the recipients. Two households in Omaha donated Kitchen Cabinets they were replacing. We were able to reconstruct and refinish them to fit perfectly into the last two homes we assisted with. We GREATLY appreciate the dedication of volunteers as we worked for over 15 months on this single disaster.
2019 was very busy as 191 volunteers shared 3,695 service hours with 22 families and their communities, from Pacific Junction, Iowa (2,510 hours) to Bellevue, NE/Valley (480 hours), and initially three trips (Feb to March) to Houston, TX. (705 hours).
In 2020, we worked in smaller teams through July, contribute another additional 800 hours in Pacific Junction, but we wrapped up due to Covid-19 concerns.
From February through September 2020 we also became a furniture donations conduit between Omaha and Pacific Junction, taking several trailer loads of furniture to those in need. We worked through a trusted resident who helped us match the donations to the recipients. Two households in Omaha donated Kitchen Cabinets they were replacing. We were able to reconstruct and refinish them to fit perfectly into the last two homes we assisted with. We GREATLY appreciate the dedication of volunteers as we worked for over 15 months on this single disaster.
A huge THANK YOU to retailer Bomgaars and DeWalt Tools as they teamed up to make a fantastic donation of tools to Hand of Hope. We greatly appreciate their commitment to help rebuild homes. It's terrific to have battery powered tools for our volunteers to use and eliminate dragging multiple extension cords through the work area.
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Hand of Hope Ministries is built on a strong foundation in scripture. The verse below affirms our mission belief that we are here for a specific reason and we should not stop short in achieving what we have been created to do.
Mission Statement: Hand of Hope Ministries is focused on spreading the love of Jesus to the Poor, Uninsured and Underinsured. We will share our unique God-given talents by reaching out to be His hands, His feet and His voice to those impacted by natural disasters throughout the Central United States. His love is spread through rebuilding both their damaged homes and lives, through community outreach and one on one prayer. Providing Hope to the hopeless and raising up volunteers to be Disciples of Christ.
For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me.’
Matthew 25:40
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me.’
Matthew 25:40
Hand of Hope Ministries of Omaha, Nebraska, EIN # 46-4744120, is tax exempt as a Public Charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to Hand of Hope Ministries may be tax-deductible. Consult your Tax Adviser.