Just Hope – Raise the Barn for HOPE!

Dust off your boots, put on your best country-western attire, and give the gift of hope by  attending Just HOPE’S Raise the Barn for HOPE on Saturday, September 17th at the Triple J Barn Event Center.

Just HOPE, Inc Gives Hope Where it is Needed Most
Just HOPE, Inc. is a Community Outreach Agency with a focus on the displaced, homeless, and those without reliable transportation.

Raise the Barn for HOPE will be held from 6:30-10:30 PM at the wonderfully rustic Triple J Barn Event Center in Mocksville.  Enjoy a night of good food, good fun, and good company for a great cause!  DJ Willi and The Jason Leake Band will provide the entertainment. There will be a best boot contest, corn-hole tournaments, a full BBQ dinner with all the fixin’s, a silent auction, dancing, cash bar, and so much more!

Fabulous silent auction items include:
Mountain Getaway – (4)Tweetsie Railroad Tickets, (4) Grandfather Mountain Tickets, $50 gas card, and  $25 Cracker Barrel food card

Pamper Yourself – Manicure gift certificate, Pure Barre gift certificate, Ed Hardy fragrance set, bath & body set, $50 Davie Jewelers gift card, Paint & Sip certificate, bottle of wine, Honor Darling gift certificate, Styled Gatherings necklace

Romantic Getaway – A night’s stay at The Cedars Bed & Breakfast in Mooresville, $50 Bloomin’ Brands food card (Outback, Bonefish Grille, Carrabba’s, or Flemings), $25 gas card, bottle of wine

Family Stay-cation Pack – $25 gas card, (4)Adventure Landing Fun Day pack, $20 Monte Del Rey’s gift card, $20 Kent’s Kitchen gift card, (4)Greensboro Science Center passes

Family Trip – Week stay at SeaSpray Condo in Atlantic Beach (Beach view, 2 bedrooms, sleeps 6)

Jockey Gift Baskets – Men’s and women’s undergarment selections

Men’s Basket –  Auto-Zone gift cards, car detailing kit, fragrance set, Tanglewood golf certificate

Recliner – Brayden chocolate brown electric recliner and movie gift pack

Golf Pack – (2) free green fees, golf bag, golf balls, golf shirt.

Girls Night Out – Sip & paint certificate, bottle of wine, $25 gas card, Davie Tavern gift certificate

Fitness package – $385 worth of personal fitness sessions at Torque Fitness, water bottle, Muscle Milk packs

Outdoor Adventure – (4) fishing rods, 4-person tent, (2) chairs, (2) pillows, lantern, tent loft, (2) sleeping bags, (2) camping mats, weekend pass to Lake Myers

Outdoor Set – (2) fishing rods, outdoor grill, s’mores kit, grill accessories

Christmas Basket – Christmas decor galore!

How  Does Just HOPE Inc. Serve Our Community?
Just HOPE, also known as JHI, was founded in January of 2010 by Krystal Dumas as a mobile food pantry to serve those who lacked reliable transportation to get to valuable resources and services. Most of the clients served didn’t qualify for traditional assistance, such as food stamps or Work First. The mobile pantry is still in operation and delivers to an average of 75 families monthly along with emergency cases on a day to day basis.

“We wanted to meet people’s needs but not duplicate services offered by other agencies in the county,” Dumas said. “That’s how we ended up focusing on the homeless and those without transportation.”

According to Dumas, the homeless population in Davie County has been overlooked for a long time, mainly because most people thought they didn’t exist.

“Families are going through hard times and falling through government program cracks. These families are living in multi-family households with unsafe sleeping situations, living in motels, sleeping in their cars, and even residing in tents wherever they can find a vacant space of land,” she said. “Until JHI started the Homeless Prevention Program in 2013, Davie County did not have specific resources or agencies dedicated to helping this population.”

Slowly but surely, these families are being assisted by JHI in finding permanent shelter…somewhere to call HOME.

“Once we’ve addressed a family’s hunger needs, we work to identify the root cause of why they are in the situation they are in,” Dumas said. “Sometimes it is because of high rent, high electricity bills, or high repair bills on their home. Often it is because a parent is underemployed or has lost a job. No two families’ situation is the same.”  

“It is easier to find the root of the problem than to continue applying a band-aid,” she added. “Many of our elderly clients are on a fixed income and will continue to need some assistance, but most of our families only need our services for three to six months after we address the root of their needs.”

While these families transition to their own home, they need assistance with many different things. JHI assists with food and hygiene items, job search, budget building, agency referrals, case management, substance abuse referrals, and counseling. Until they locate permanent housing, JHI’s home office acts as their mail center, a place to use the phone and receive important messages, and an escape from the harsh weather conditions during the day. JHI operates a family day center that offers amenities often not available to families living in a tent or hotel room. Computers are available for job searches, creating resumes, taking online classes and doing homework. A family room with couches provides families a place to hang out together and JHI hosts weekly dinner & a movie and board game nights.

“The family day center is really a kind of therapy,” said Dumas. “It helps the families to interact with other families going through similar situations. Often they are able to help each other and learn from each other.”

After they find housing, JHI assists with furniture, clothing, and household items from its  in-house thrift store, which it operates to help fund its services.

Currently, the thrift store and the family day center are sharing the same space. Dumas said that the money raised through Raise the Barn for HOPE will be used to build a separate day center that will include a laundry room and expanded bathroom facilities including showers. It will also provide the families using the services a little privacy.

Dumas is extremely grateful to the generous sponsors who are making the event possible. They include:

Platinum  – Bill & Kathy Junker

Silver – DavieLife Magazine, Davie Outfitters, Jus’ Go Play

Bronze – Allen Geomatics, Hillsdale Real Estate Group, Jockey, Kountry Kids, La Carreta of Advance, Meg Brown Furnishings, Restoration MedSpa, VF Jeanswear, Woodard & Co.

Patron – Foster Drug, Fuller Contracting, Hillsdale Dental, Howard Realty, Marlin Chiropractic, Dr. John Price & Kim Price

Tickets for Raise the Barn for Hope are $40 per person or $75 per couple, and can be purchased at 277 North Main Street in Mocksville or by contacting Krystal Dumas at (336) 909-4241.

You Can Help Too!
JHI gladly accepts donations of food, supplies, coupons, or money from individuals, businesses, and organizations.  The thrift store accepts clothing, shoes, movies, books, household items, furniture, and other items families would need that are starting over in a new home. As a non-profit agency, JHI is always in looking for organizations to sponsor food or hygiene item drives, or other fundraisers.

Just HOPE Inc. is a United Way partner agency and is located at 277 North Main St., Mocksville, NC 27028. For more information about the organization, it services, or hours of operation, visit www.justHOPEinc.org or call (336) 909-4241.