Hope depends on donations to the Food Bank, Care and Share Closet and other programs to help us meet the needs of our clients. There are many different kinds of collections that you might consider. For example, you may want to collect just diapers, "Go Fishing for Tuna" or have a special financial collection to benefit Hope. We have a video available to help acquaint members of the church or organization with Hope. We can also provide a speaker for your group, printed information regarding Hope and its services, or help in developing all the materials you need to run a successful collection. For more information on doing a collection for Hope, contact Melissa Burkhart at 734-484-2989 x 215 or mburkhart@thehopeclinic.org. All collected items can be delivered to 518 Harriet St., Ypsilanti, MI,
Mon. - Friday, 8:30-12 or 1-5.
Collecting for the Food Bank
There are a number of different types of "drives" that you might want to consider when collecting for the Food Bank. For example, a Sunday school class may want to collect just peanut butter and jelly, or attendees at a Baby Shower might be encouraged to each bring a can of formula. Some groups hand out grocery bags with a short list of items to fill the bag with ( i.e. list spaghetti sauce, spaghetti, canned beans and muffin mix on some bags and tuna fish, chicken noodle soup, crackers and canned corn on others). Some churches have regular collections where the children bring their food donations as part of the service; others put a box with a list of needed items at the back of the church. In general, the food bank needs food items that have a long shelf life and are "kid friendly". Something like bread is not a good collection item since it will often go bad before we can pass it out. We do not need the "industrial" size cans or containers of items, however all other sizes are welcome. Food Bank donations typically drop off between June and September and donations of food during these months are especially helpful. For more details about items to collect for the Food Bank see the Wish List.
Collecting for the Care and Share Closet
The Care and Share Closet provides essential items not available with food stamps, such as toilet paper, personal hygiene items, and diapers. We are chronically in need of dish soap, laundry soap, diapers and toilet paper. A drive that is specifically for one of these items is always helpful. In general, we try to keep the Closet stocked with the essential items that are most commonly requested rather than keeping a wide variety of items on hand. For example, items such as napkins or furniture polish are rarely requested. For more details about items needed for the Care and Share Closet see the Wish List.
Collecting for Wash With Care
Through the Wash With Care program Hope provides the use of laundry facilities to needy families and individuals. When we have it available, we also provide those doing their laundry with powdered detergent. An organization or church that is interested in supporting this program might consider collecting laundry soap. A number of churches have had "Soap Sundays". In general, the laundry soap used by our Wash With Care program should be powdered detergent. It is helpful if it is prepackaged into baggies into "one load" amounts.
Collecting for the Dental Clinic
The Dental Clinic gives out toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss to its patients to encourage good dental hygiene. The Clinic will only give out soft bristle, adult and child toothbrushes so it's important to be specific when communicating about the collection. We discourage donations of mouthwash to avoid giving out mouthwash that has alcohol in it. See the Wish List.
Financial Collections
We appreciate all the ways that people support Hope, including financial support. Some churches have held special collections at their Sunday service with the proceeds benefiting Hope Clinic. Other churches and organizations have held a "Prescription for Hope" drive where special prescription bottles (supplied by Hope) are passed out to its members, who then fill them with cash and return them. Another idea is to have a "Spare Change" drive where groups encourage their members to donate their change for some period of time to Hope Clinic.
