Center of Hope
A Humble Beginning
In 1983, Victory Ministries started delivering food to people in need out of the trunk of a car. Since this humble beginning, tens of thousands of individuals have been assisted. Our work addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of economically disadvantaged families.
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The First Center of Hope
In 2016, the first Center of Hope opened to serve residents in Central Ohio. Center of Hope Whitehall helps to meet the needs of neighbors living in urban locations around Columbus. The Center is a place where individuals and families can find hope and help in their critical time of need. Several services are available, including emergency services, mental health counseling, a free medical clinic, a choice pantry, educational services, and employment assistance. In 2019, over 6000 families received assistance.
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Center of Hope Knox County
In 2019, the Center of Hope started working to address the growing needs in Ohio's rural communities by opening its first chapter in Knox County, Ohio. In March 2020, we started distributing food through our distribution hub and service center in Bladensburg. Within 15 miles of this location are communities in Knox, Coshocton, Licking, Muskingum, and Holmes counties.
Since opening the Bladensburg center, we have provided over 1200 food distributions through weekly appointments in Bladensburg, through a weekly food distribution to Fredericktown, or by delivery. People have largely come to us through word-of-mouth advertising. Currently, appointments are scheduled for approximately 100 households per week. Our goal is to scale and build capacity so that we can continue to serve more people and address the scale of need in our community.
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85% of households have visited more than once or utilize the service regularly.
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Almost half of visits for food service include a household member who is over age 60.
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We have served neighbors from 18 zip codes and 8 counties.
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Approximately 87% of households served are from Knox County.
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26% are from Mount Vernon, 21% Howard, and 12% from Fredericktown.
Individuals can receive food assistance on a weekly basis, getting monthly full food packs (fresh + shelf stable) and weekly fresh food packs. At least half of the food provided is fresh, including fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein (meat or eggs). Typically, we would allow our neighbors to select their own food, however during COVID boxes are custom packed and distributed at their car.
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