“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Life Members on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware gathered together to serve at the Hope and Life Outreach (HALO) homeless shelter café for the Life on Life Initiative.
HALO is a faith based homeless ministry that was founded in 2004 as an outreach of Oak Ridge Baptist Church. The Center for Hope began by serving sack lunches on the street and operating limited programs: “Be Our Guest” was a week long shelter and dinner; “Fill my Cup” was a one time Easter Dinner; and “Hope on the Streets” was a street ministry where they delivered food to known homeless camps.
In 2010, The Center for Hope changed its name to Hope and Life Outreach (HALO) and received its own 501(c)3 status as an independent ministry so that other churches and organizations could contribute time and money to the work. Today, HALO operates a woman’s and children’s shelter, a men’s shelter, a café, a thrift store, and a day facility that is designed to provide homeless individuals and families with the skills and resources to get back on their feet and improve their situation.
In 2015, HALO served nearly 82,000 meals and provided shelter to 239 women, 109 children, and 289 men, and served 584 guests in the day facility. The 2016 numbers had similar results. HALO is making a significant difference in the community.
Life Members from the Raging Rhino organization spent an evening at HALO helping to serve nearly 100 meals to a group of grateful men, women, and children. With the help of a ‘regular’ HALO volunteer kitchen manager, the team assisted with final food preparations, serving, and kitchen clean-up.
Life Member and organizer Lori DeWitt stated:
“It was so great to be able to come together as part of a team to contribute to the larger community to which we belong. Feeding and ministering to the homeless is a rewarding experience, especially since most of us are so blessed with such abundance. Once again, Life is making a difference!”
Thank you to all of the Life Members who participated in this Life on Life Initiative from the Raging Rhino’s organization, under the leadership of Tony and Sharon Hoffman!
Roman says
This story is inspiring. Got me thinking of what I could organize through my church.
Robby Palmer says
Wonderful! Spreading the light!
Sharon Hoffman says
Shining light in a dark world!!! So blessed to be associated with such servant leaders.
Greg Johnson says
The heart of this team is a heart to serve. So proud of how they share their time and help those whose lives many times go unnoticed.
Pat Tefel says
Great Job!! Your servant hearts are inspiring to all you serve.
Tony DeLeon says
Inspired by your service.
Way to go, team Rino!
Vanessa Davis says
What a beautiful way to be a blessing to others! Love this!
Elaine Mallios says
Great Job! There are some astounding statistics of homeless people and how so many get caught in a cascade of events that lead to becoming homeless. It’s not the misconceptions that we’ve heard in the past – want to be there, lazy, etc. We are so proud of your work to help them.
Alice Jackson says
AWESOME Job!!!
Doug DeWitt says
The amazing thing is the gratefulness of the guest we served. It is humbling to be able to serve and share. Being allowed to serve was an enriching experience and an incredible blessing!