Community Outreach
Rising Hope is committed to ministering in love to the needs of everyone, especially those living in poverty and on the margins of society. In the words of our pastor Keary Kincannon, “We may do a number of things that look like social services but the core of our life at Rising Hope is our worship of the God made known in Jesus Christ. And it is his power that drives all our outreach into the community.” Click HERE to find out ways you can help!
The Rags to Riches Clothing Closet
The Rags to Riches Clothing Closet is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 to 4pm. All individuals and families in need from our community are welcome. Volunteers and donations of clothing and toiletries are always needed.
We provided 11,086 clothing closet and 2,962 toiletry assists last year.
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday 9:30 am-12:00; 1:30 pm-4:00 pm
Wednesday 9:30 an-12:00; 1:30 pm-4:00 pm
Thursday 9:30 am-12:00; 1:30 pm-4:00 pm; 4:00 pm-7:30 pm
Milk and Honey Food Pantry
The Milk and Honey Food Pantry feeds over 300 families each week. All individuals and families in need from our community are welcome. Volunteers are always needed to help stock shelves, assist in our store, help with record keeping, deliver food to shut-ins and pick up food donations.
We served 47,794 individuals and families in 2012.
Hours of Operation: Wednesday 1:30 pm-3:30 pm, Thursday 10:00-11:45 am & 3:30-7:30 pm
Donations Accepted: Tuesday-Friday 9:30 am-4:00 pm, Thursday 9:30 am-7:00 pm
All other donations by appointment: (703)360-9124
Every day, Tuesday through Friday, we welcome people in need to a breakfast of pastries and coffee, and we offer a lunch meal following our noon Prayer and Worship service. We also serve breakfast on Sundays, and a two-course lunch after our Sunday Celebration Service. For some people, these are the only meals they can rely on. Pastor Keary says, “Those eating with us are nourished by the food and by the unconditionally loving spirit that is the core of the Rising Hope Community.” We served 14,599 hot meals in 2012.
Solid Rock Soup Kitchen
Rising Hope – in partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank – hosts a free produce giveaway every fourth Friday of the month.
God’s Bounty Produce Handout
Individuals are encouraged to arrive early and bring their own shopping bags.
Rising Hope Mission Church holds periodic job readiness classes and maintains contacts with local employers. Local employers are encouraged to assist us in finding meaningful employment for those in need and qualified. We provided job assistance to 133 individuals in 2012.
Job Search Opportunities
Rising Hope Mission Church provides both crisis response and targeted assistance to help people get their lives back on track. Our work is as varied as the range of needs that are presented to us. For example, we might be assisting someone in financial crisis with financial support or helping people with job searching.
Empowerment Center
Emergency Referrals All individuals and families in need of emergency assistance (financial, housing, household goods, transportation, immigration) are referred to appropriate agencies and offices in the community. We provided 861 emergency assistance and 487 financial and transportation assists last year.
Every Christmas hundreds of low income children and families receive specific gifts bought for them through the generous donations of individuals and churches. 477 gifts were provided this past Christmas.
Angel Gift Program
One week before Christmas Rising Hope operates a Christmas shop for low income families to select Christmas presents for their families from new items that have been donated. 1700 items were provided for the Christmas Shoppe.
Christmas Shoppe
A Christmas dinner is provided on Christmas Day and a Thanksgiving dinner is provided on Thanksgiving Day. Also, Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets are made up for our food pantry regulars. Food, cooks and volunteer servers are always needed. 350 Thanksgiving baskets, 80 Thanksgiving Day hot meals, 350 Christmas baskets and 60 Christmas Day hot meals were provided over the 2012 holiday season.
Holiday Baskets and Holiday Meals
As a partner in the Ventures in Community Hypothermia Outreach Program’s effort to ensure emergency shelter to area homeless, Rising Hope provides 25 beds per night during the cold winter months, December through March. Volunteers from community churches and local civic groups provide a hot, home cooked dinner, breakfast bags and overnight volunteer staff each night. 2880 shelter beds (to include dinner and breakfast) were provided to the homeless last year.
Hypothermia Shelter
Rising Hope – in partnership with NOVA SALUD – hosts free and confidential HIV testing on select Thursday evenings. Visit our special events page for available dates. NovaSalud, Inc. promotes HIV/AIDS awareness, risk reduction behavior, and makes referrals to supportive care and treatment services through culturally-competent and language-appropriate HIV/AIDS services and prevention education in Northern Virginia.
HIV Testing