Community Hope Center

CHC is focused on feeding and providing food to the hungry and prayer and encouragement for the discouraged.

In Madison County, 15% of individuals live in poverty and 1 in 5 children are food-insecure. Most of CHC's adult clients are under-employed, unemployed, or disabled. Our aim is to supplement household budgets through basic material goods and groceries, so that our vulnerable neighbors do not have to make a choice between groceries or medication. We want children to be assured that when they leave school on Friday, they won't have to wait until Monday to have another meal.

This month we are launching a new program called FreshStart, which is designed to address the underlying causes of food insecurity and poverty on a household-by-household basis. Program participants partner one-on-one with a FreshStart coach to establish goals and identify opportunities and obstacles. An individualized plan is created tailored to the participants' specific circumstances, and the Coach and participant work together over the course of 12-18 months to remove those obstacles and seize opportunities to improve their circumstances.

This program has proven to increase food security and financial stability for participants who complete the program. The impact extends well beyond the participant, as their entire household experiences the benefits of stability and growth. The key is relationships, partnership, parity. We believe that as more people experience life transformation, they will extend that hope to others within their community.