The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Since March 2020, Mobile Hope has served 208,675 family members with 12 million pounds of food and 12 million pounds of vital supplies through our COVID-19 response program, "Listen for the Honk". We served 2,534 children through our "Listen for the Honk" holiday edition with over 7,500 toys. For comparison, prior to COVID, we served 3,000-4,000 people in our bus outreach program annually. Mobile Hope fielded more than 600 calls from youth in crisis; 373 of which entered our program. Nearly 50% of the youth who entered our program achieved self-sufficiency. More than 6,500 meals were served, and 300+ nights of emergency shelter were provided for vulnerable youth. Clients in emergency shelter came to Mobile Hope during the day to volunteer, developing a sense of purpose and giving back to the community. Community members volunteered thousands of hours, at our bus stops, packed food bags and hosted drives, helping us raise awareness of food insecurity and youth homelessness. Kids got involved in assembling food bags, shopping for and donating food as they learned the importance of giving back to their community.
Rapid program growth, including fleet expansion, catalyzed our need to move to a larger campus a year earlier than expected. Our new Leesburg campus would allow for a larger fleet and expanded programming, including the launch of a trade school for at-risk and homeless youth, and an Airstream Community to be used for emergency shelter and transitional housing. Mobile Hope averages more than 1,500 volunteer hours monthly.
In April 2021, our 22-year old bus stopped operating due to overuse. Through a partnership with a local church, we purchased a new bus to ensure continued deliveries directly into neighborhoods for years to come.
Our service model, which allows clients in need to access food and vital supplies in their neighborhoods without barriers, allows us to make meaningful impact in Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.