Winter Issue 2013

HSF Director’s Message

A Christmas Celebration

TasteHOPE

Inside:

December 1st, 2012

Grill-Off Success

Build Housing

ForeHOPE

Circle of HOPE

TasteHOPE 2013!

Friday, October 18th, 2013

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G E

(ROMANS 15:13 - HI

V)

There are times in all of our lives when we look out towards

the horizon and wonder what the future will hold. We ask

ourselves, “What will the journey before us have in store,

will we be up to the challenge, and are we following God in

our endeavors?” In times such as these, we have to have faith

in He who provides; in He who is our HOPE.

As an organization, we have this sense that we are in one

of those times. The sense that all that has come before has been

to prepare us for what God has called us to become. We stand

upon the shores, looking to the horizon, and want to step out

in faith. We stand amazed at what God has done, and a little

nervous about what God has in store.

There are so many stories of God’s abundant grace this year and

we are amazed at the partnerships that have formed. Over the last

year, the HOPE network of churches has provided more housing,

more meals, and more examples of loving community than we ever

dreamed possible. However, we know there is still a great need

and believe that the groundwork has been laid to grow our shared

vision of HOPE, Housing and Community in the New Year.

To prepare for this great leap of faith, we have worked to lay the

foundation within our organization. As the community has invested

in us, we have invested in a developing a core team, a team that is

ready to tackle the challenges that lay before us.

I am honored to work with Eddie, Misael, and Steve, I have never

served with three people that I trust and respect more. It gives me

hope as we look forward to what this year will bring. As we all gaze

upon the vision and mission before us, we are filled with joy and

peace as we trust in God.

Grace and Peace,Robin Martin, M. Div.Executive Director

“Ma y the God of h

ope

f i l l you with a l l the

jo y a nd peace a s you

tru st i n Him, so tha

t you

ma y overfl ow with

hope

b y the p ower of the

Ho l y Sp i r it. ”

Edw i n C o p e l a nd , V i c e P r e s i d e n t o f C ommun i t y E n g a g emen t

S t e v e We r t hman , V i c e P r e s i d e n t o f O p e r a t i o n s

M i s a e l Ma r t i n e z , V i c e P r e s i d e n t o f P r o g r am s a n d S e r v i c e s

Christmasat God’s Little Lambs

and The Shepherd’s Way

God’s Little Lambs were darling in their annual Christmas pageant and also gave a very special encore

performance for our TasteHOPE Shared Meal guests. The children were dressed for the nativity, including

a star, a host of angels, traveling kings and manger animals. Santa’s helpers also showed up in the form

of adorable reindeer and energetic elves. Christmas carols never sound so lovely as when they’re sung

by God’s Little Lambs! The joy of Christmas continued with special events hosted for the families of The

Shepherd’s Way. Special thank you to Les Diplomats, Miss Elly, BikeStreet USA and Christ Church United

Methodist for bringing HOPE to our families with gifts, new bikes and holiday meals. Thank you for making

this Christmas very special for each family and child in our shelter!

I T W A S A B U S Y C H R I S T M A S S E A S O N F U L L O F H O P E , J O Y A N D M A N Y B L E S S I N G S !

Working together with our church network and volun-

teers throughout the Christian community, HOPE South

Florida was able to provide 25,000 shared meals for

homeless individuals through our TasteHOPE meal pro-

gram. As any one of our guests will tell you, it so much

more than a meal. For those that serve and come to be

served, it’s everything: community, comfort, and HOPE.

But don’t take our word for it, come experience it for

yourself as you consider the following words from one

of our faithful volunteers…

My son (16) and I have been sharing meals at Hope

Central every other Monday and Christmas Eve happened

to fall on such an evening this year. You see, our family

had made a financial commitment to HOPE South Florida,

but we wished to tie that to hands-on involvement and

community service. The team of saints we see working at

Hope Central each night is remarkable, but the real impact

came from two interactions we had on Christmas Eve

with a man and a lady that God placed in our paths.

The first interaction was with a middle-aged man who

could easily look like your uncle. He came up to the food

Come eat, be comforted, find community, TasteHOPE.

It’s the one thing we ALL have in common: our appetites.

We all have to eat, and at our table,

B U I L D H O P E : : T A S T E H O P E S H A R E D M E A L S & H O M E L E S S M E M O R I A L

you are always welcome

line counter where we were serving and simply looked at

me and said, “This is just temporary you know. Soon I’ll be

back on my feet. Got to keep a positive attitude, Merry

Christmas” and then moved on. A few minutes later a

young woman in the food line came up to the counter and

I quickly greeted her with a hearty, “Merry Christmas!” She

simply looked up at me, smiled and said, “I’m homeless

and pregnant. I don’t think this will be a very Merry

Christmas” and she slowly walked away.

Later, on our way to our church for the Christmas Eve

service, my son and I had a great discussion. The core in-

sight from each of these interactions was that the typical

stereotype we all may possess about the homeless was

completely shattered; our perceptions are changing. And,

while our discussion got deep and very personal during

that blessed car ride, we finally concluded, “We wish we

could do more.”

We are looking forward with great anticipation to seeing

both persons again in future weeks at the TasteHOPE meal

program and hope that we can continue to build upon

those God-given Christmas Eve appointments.

In only its third year, it has grown to include 21 Miami Dolphin football legends teaming up

with local celebrity chefs to create unique and delicious new grilling recipes. The day was

perfect tailgating weather and this friendly competition drew over 2,500 hungry and enthu-

siastic fans to the Pompano Beach Amphitheatre to enjoy food, w

ine, and celebrities.

John

Off

erda

hl’s

Grid

iron

Grill

-Off,

“W

here

Cele

brity

, Com

petit

ion &

Cha

rity

Colli

de,”

just

kee

ps g

ettin

g be

tter

and

big

ger!

Thank you to everyone who attended and stopped by our tent to say hello!

– Pa s t o r T om Ha c k e t t , T r i n i t y L u t h e r a n Chu r c h

B U I L D H O U S I N G : : A N E W C R I S I S H O U S I N G U N I T

As the number of homeless famil ies seeking shelter in

our community is ever increasing, so to are God’s people

responding to bui ld HOPE, Housing and Community –

seeking to make a last ing difference. After hearing about

the work of HOPE South Florida, Pastor Tom Hackett of

Trinity Lutheran Church inspired his congregation to

turn one of their church owned rental apartment units ,

into cr is is housing for the famil ies HOPE South Florida

serves.

A few meetings later , and through the generosity and

gracious hearts of our volunteers and his congregation,

the unit was l ightly renovated and made ready to pro-

vide HOPE for al l those who would temporari ly cal l i t

home. We couldn’t help but think of this new partnership

as a wonderful Christmas present – not just for us but

also for the over 150 homeless famil ies seeking shelter

everyday in Broward County. In just the f irst three weeks

this new unit has already been able to provide cr is is

housing for 3 mothers and 5 chi ldren! Thank you Pastor

Tom and al l of those at Tr inity Lutheran Church for

making our mission of p r o v i d i n g h o p e t o t h e h o p e l e s s

a n d h o m e s f o r t h e h o m e l e s s a real ity once again.

“It's our privilege to partnerwith HOPE South Florida in the work of helping homelessfamilies. We're grateful for the opportunity to join thatwork by providing one of ourhousing units to serve as a crisis-housing unit for familiesseeking shelter through HOPESouth Florida’s Faith-In-Actionprogram. HOPE's staff and volunteers have done an ex-cellent job of preparing theunit to meet its clients' needs.They have proven responsiveand responsible regarding ourconcerns, while aiming tobring HOPE to those in crisis.”

“Not only do I foresee our partnership with HOPE SouthFlorida strengthening our ability to act as "hands andfeet of Jesus" toward ourneighbors, I expect we willgrow to become more faithfulChrist-followers through ourassociation with HOPE SouthFlorida and those they serve.What a privilege.”

Trinity Lutheran Church

In October, golfers of all skill levels were invited

to attend the ForeHOPE 5th Annual Golf Tourna-

ment held at the immaculate Coral Ridge Country

Club and hosted by 2007 Senior PGA Champion

Denis Watson. It was a gorgeous day of teeing

up ForeHOPE on behalf of the

homeless families we serve!

Circle of HOPE

Thank you to all of our players, sponsors, Commit-

tee Chair, Andy Mitchell and host, Denis Watson!

save the date6th Annual Golf Tournament, Monday,

May 20th 2013. For details and to register early

Visit: www.hopesouthflorida.org/forehope

This year, HOPE South Florida had the privi ledge to gather with our

Circle of HOPE members in a quarterly series of after-work events at

the Lauderdale Yacht Club. These t imes al lowed our Board President,

Matt Lomenick, and fel low Board Members, to share their vis ion for

and experiences with HOPE South Florida and the famil ies they serve.

Circle of HOPE members graciously gave $1,000 or more annually,

their leadership giving and support throughout the year help make

HOPE a real ity for homeless famil ies and chi ldren in our community.

P.O. Box 14156, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33302

Office: 954.566.2311 Fax: 954.566.2302 help@hopesouthflorida.orgHopeSouthFlorida.org

HOPE South Florida is a Christian-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization,

operating since 1995, with the mission to provide hope for the homeless and

hurting through services and partnerships with the Christian community. Serving as

the lead organization in a network of partner churches and organizations, we are

working together to provide a holistic Christian response to homelessness in our

community. Over the years we have provided emergency shelter, housing assistance,

and support services to thousands of homeless families throughout Broward County.

Build Hope : : Build Housing : : Build Community

For a list of our partner churches and church affiliates please contact: HOPE South Florida

Thanks to ALL supporters of

HOPE South Florida. Through people

like you, we were able to provide

221 mothers with 552 children with

housing during their time of need

in 2012! To learn more, please contact our office at 954.566.2311