Recycled Furniture Recycles Lives

Use the isearchigive link. Help us raise funds!
We have kids working with us this summer under a stimulus grant. I'm so proud of them! Today they learned how to weave a chair bottom. The chair sold before the end of the day. Then, the kids transformed an ugly table into a thing of beauty. It's attracting so much attention that it won't be around long!
The other item that was finished today is an end table. It was worn, scratched and in need of TLC. Now, it looks fabulous in black and will no doubt last for many more years.
Watching the kids as they acquire these skills is fun! I'm excited for them!

But, there is a shadow looming on the horizon. We have not been as successful in selling items as we need to be. If you know of someone who can use beautiful items for their home please tell them about us.

Your purchases help us change lives. We work with victims of domestic violence, distribute free clothing, maintain a small food pantry and change the lives of juvenile offenders.
This weekend we hope to have a yard sale to raise needed cash. We are behind on our rent and have no idea where the $1,000 that is needed is going to come from. If you have a store that can take pieces on consignment or if you would like something nice for your home, please let us know.

See you at the yard sale!

Hope for Healing.Org People Served in April 2009

Hope for Healing.Org is now telling the world about the people we serve each month. There's a new sign in front of the mission center at 3130 W. Old Andrew Johnson Hwy., Strawberry Plains, TN 37871.

Look on the sign to see numbers of people who Hope for Healing.Org helped in April 2009. You may be surprised. Because of a lack of heat, we've only been able to be open on Saturdays. Other times are available by appointment.

Here's a photo of the sign and the typed breakdown of clients served at Hope for Healing.Org in April.

The breakdown is:
Domestic Violence .......9
Food Pantry.................12
Clothing and Household Items.......5
Angel Food ...................14
Restorative Justice (Juvenile Offenders) ...............................4
Youth Peer Mentoring...............................................................9
Crisis ............................................................................................4

The above list does not include our online totals. Hope for Healing.Org continues to be a top ranked website under "rape recovery" and "accepting Christ".

Please keep our ministry and funding issues in prayer. Without people helping us, we can't help others. Thank you for being a part of this ministry.

Belk Charity Day Tickets are on Sale Here Now!

Belk Charity Day Tickets are on sale here now! Tickets are only $5 each and are good at any participating Belk Department Store on May 2. Plus, each ticket purchased gets you a $5 discount off your first purchase during the Charity Day. (

Stop by our office in Strawberry Plains or order Belk Charity Tickets online by sending your donation via Pay Pal to donations@hopeforhealing.org. In the notes section just put in how many tickets you would like and the address to which we can send them. We'll get them out to you asap!

Belk Charity Day Sale happens only once a year. You won't want to miss it.

Please Return the Roof of Our Nonprofit

You would think that falling scrap metal prices would be a deterrent to metal thieves. Not so.

Yesterday, I got a rude surprise. A small section of our metal roof is missing from the building we rent. Without luck, we searched all over the property in case it blew off. Then I noticed that a few other things were missing from under our canopy.

Metal thieves have struck.

This make me mad and kind of sad. The roof may not have been much but we liked having it. And, we needed it.

Our nonprofit is struggling and can just barely make the rent. We help people get clothing when they need it. We give out food for free from our food pantry. If you need household items and cannot afford it we can help with that too. Hope for Healing.Org also restores the lives of juvenile offenders, distributes Angel Food and makes referrals for victims of domestic violence.

None of these activities generates income.

Replacing anything that is taken by metal thieves is going to be hard to impossible. Then I got word that the bicycle of a 12 year old girl was stolen. I wonder if this was taken for scrap metal too?

Times are hard but you don't have to resort to stealing metal to make money. There are still plenty of honest ways to make money. Bake sales, car washes, yard sales and the like are still valid ways of making an extra dollar. If you are considering stealing metal (or anything) think again. Please do not resort to stealing roofs or bicycles from innocent children.

And if you have our section of roof don't scrap metal it. Please bring it back. Ditto for the little girl's bicycle.

We'll be posting pictures here as we can.

Being frugal? Saving money in tight times?

Chances are high that you are probably being frugal with your spending right now. Some people are living frugally by choices. Others are being forced into it through lay-offs. Saving money in tight times is being seen as the thing to do. But what does that mean? How can you save a few dollars when it doesn't look like there's anything left to cut?

Here are a few ideas on being frugal:

Shop thrift for clothes and gifts. A Lenox vase from a thrift shop is still Lenox.
Cut bank fees. I changed my personal bank account to SunTrust last year. Not only do I no longer pay a fee but they donated $100 to our charity. It cost me nothing.
Like movies? Think church. More churches are offering movie nights. You get to enjoy the night, see friends and you are being frugal.
Check it out at the library. Did you know that the library has a wide selection of movies that you can borrow for free? Sure beats paying a rental fee.
Take a picnic. If you are craving a day out try a picnic. Except for gas, this may not cost you more than eating in normally would. Take the kids. Make it a family day and enjoy it.

Being frugal doesn't mean you won't have fun. Saving money in tight times can help you have a few more dollars for what's really important.

eBay Helps Nonprofit Raise Funds in Tight Economy

We're turning to eBay to help our nonprofit raise funds in this tight economy. Up for grabs right now is depression era furniture, kitchen table and greeting cards. These items have been worked on by the juvenile offfenders and volunteers of Hope for Healing.Org. They are available for pick up from our Strawberry Plains nonprofit. For a small donation (to help our volunteer with gas) they can be delivered within the Knoxville area.

Other items that are going up on eBay include clothes and knick-knacks. These are the types of things that helped make eBay famous.

The money raised will help us with basic operating expenses of rent, phone, internet etc. to keep us going. We only have 1 paid part-time staff member. Everything else is run by volunteers. This stretches our budget to help donations go as far as possible.

We'll be listing items on eBay all this week to help our nonprofit raise funds in this tight economy. You're getting good products at a price you determine by bidding on the auction. Keep watching our site all this week for great deals!

Our eBay store url is http://stores.ebay.com/hopeforhealingorg

Local Charity Seeks Volunteers for 5th Annual Mardi Gras Party!

Our 5th annual Mardi Gras celebration happens on Feb. 6. We're still in need of volunteers to help decorate that morning. Volunteers to help serve are also needed. If you or your group have a couple of hours that day call us. We'll be glad to talk to you. This is a fun event!

Tickets for non-volunteers are also avalable for $10 each. Email us for more information or to purchase at gayle@hopeforhealing.org.

See you there!