Hope for New York

As the economy has dipped and turned, we as a community have felt each jolt and wondered how best to react.  Over 200 young adults participated in the 3^rd Annual Hope for New York Spring Benefit on May, 13^th where they heard an answer to that lingering question.  Simply put: give HOPE. 

At a time when our country has been given the charge to get involved in our neighborhoods and create change, we have a unique opportunity to bring a message of hope. But what we bring is more than just our volunteer hours and our resources.  In the words of Pastor Abe Cho, we bring a “living hope” to those around us who are struggling and hurting. During the HFNY Spring Benefit program, Abe shared that “we are made in the image of a giving God – a God who gave himself away, utterly, for no other reason than the fact that we had desperate need.” When we give of ourselves for others, we emulate God’s gift to us.  The hope we bring is not “a vague, shapeless sort of optimism” but rather, it is concrete – the kind of hope that has the power to change people’s lives.  As Abe said, “This hope is alive because it was born in the terrible concreteness of a man beaten, stripped naked and crucified…a man raised from the dead, still stinking of sweat, blood and tears.”  This is the kind of concreteness that gives birth to a living hope.  Right now, there is an increasing number of people who need this message of hope.

Hope for New York partners with 32 affiliate organizations, many of whom reach out to New Yorkers who are struggling with the most basic human needs.  Just as we are feeling the pressure and changes of the economy, HFNY Affiliates are experiencing a shift in their reality.  Services such as soup kitchens and shelters are seeing a dramatic increase in clients, yet the financial donations they need to serve their clients have dropped sharply.  Hope for New York is seeking to fill in this gap by giving away larger grants this year and by providing emergency grants to Affiliates who have experienced severe shortfalls. As our Affiliates encounter a decrease in funds, we want to respond with an increase in mercy and grace.  At the Spring Benefit, attendees were encouraged to get involved. And now we invite you to respond to this urgent need.  We ask you to join us in giving HOPE.