Givens Communities is proud to support organizations that strengthen the health, well-being and resilience of our greater community. That commitment was recently demonstrated through support of The Ministry of Hope, a Black Mountain nonprofit serving women at the Western Correctional Center for Women, located less than two miles from Givens Highland Farms.
The Ministry of Hope is a community-funded, non-faith-affiliated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds to provide on-site chaplains, support staff, interfaith services and reentry and transitional programming for women at the correctional center. The women served are within five years of release or parole, and many are navigating challenges related to addiction, abuse and grief as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives.
Through chaplains, volunteers and support staff, The Ministry of Hope provides encouragement and practical tools to help women strengthen relationships, navigate parenting and employment, develop healthy self-care practices and prepare for successful transitions back into communities across Western North Carolina and the state.
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, Givens Communities supported The Ministry of Hope’s annual fundraising luncheon at Montreat by funding two tables, providing 14 Givens Highland Farms residents the opportunity to attend and learn more about the organization’s mission and impact.
The luncheon sponsorship builds upon a growing connection between The Ministry of Hope and Givens Highland Farms, one that has inspired residents to turn compassion into meaningful action.
That relationship began this summer when the Givens Highland Farms Social Connections Committee welcomed The Ministry of Hope Executive Director Lauronda Teeple as the first speaker for its Women’s Coffee.
Teeple shared the many ways the organization supports the approximately 365 women at Western Correctional Center for Women, including through its Hygiene Closet. Residents learned about the ongoing need for basic personal care products and immediately began asking a simple but powerful question: “How can we help?”
They answered that question with extraordinary generosity.
For three weeks, the Social Connections Committee sponsored a campuswide collection of hygiene products for The Ministry of Hope’s Hygiene Closet. Givens Highland Farms residents donated more than 125 pounds of shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste and other hygiene essentials, along with an impressive $1,556 in monetary contributions.
The donated toiletries were delivered to the correctional center, and the monetary contributions were presented to Teeple on behalf of The Ministry of Hope.
Together, the luncheon sponsorship, resident donations and growing relationship with The Ministry of Hope demonstrate how community connections can lead to meaningful action close to home.
Givens Communities is proud to support The Ministry of Hope and especially proud of Givens Highland Farms residents for responding so generously to the needs of their neighbors.
Thank you to the Givens Highland Farms residents who turned compassion into action and demonstrated once again how Givens residents make a difference in the communities we call home.
Learn more about Givens’ partnerships and impact in the community at givensfoundation.org/news.