Our recent community outreach in Kansas City, Mo., drew positive attention from local news. Watch this feature from Kansas City’s Fox News 4.

Connie, 53, pushed a cart filled with bread and other supplies through the exit gate of our Community Outreach in Kansas City, Mo., headed home to her tiny apartment.

“My kitchen is small but I’m sure glad I have this food to cook in it,” she said.

Connie spent two hours taking multiple buses to get to the Kansas City outreach where 3,642 guests of honor were served. Chronically homeless in the late 1980’s, she still struggles to get by more than two decades later. But, she says, Convoy of Hope has given her a new outlook on life.

“I was able to go to the job fair and learn about getting my GED and I also got this food so this was a good day for me,” she says. “I needed this.”

Our partner, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, served 500 women, providing them with breast health education and services.

Laquisha, 27, walked out of the NBCF tent with a look of relief on her face.

“I just learned I’ve been doing my self-examinations all wrong,” she says, “I may have just learned something here that will save my life. I couldn’t even afford to get this advice from a doctor.”

In another tent, physicians and dentists saw low-income families who needed the most basic healthcare services.

Jessica, 32, stood in line with her daughter and son to get eye and dental exams.

“My son broke his tooth awhile back and thankfully today we’re finally going to be able to get it fixed,” she says. “Being a single mom with no state aid of any kind, I’m barely making it. This is just unreal. All I can say is thank you, Convoy of Hope!”

Kansas City, Mo., tour fast facts:

Total guests of honor: 3,642
Total volunteers: 1,980
Total haircuts: 457
Total portraits: 485
Pairs of shoes given away through Samaritan’s Feet: 500
Gardens in a Bag: 2,500
Food packets from Plum Organics: 10,000

Long Island, N.Y., tour fast facts:

Total guests of honor: 3,762
Total volunteers: 1,402
Total haircuts: 100
Total portraits: 500
Pairs of shoes given away through Samaritan’s Feet: 1,700
Pairs of shoes given away through Shoes For All: 3,200

 

As the temperature rose, the line grew to thousands of guests of honor who had come to experience a poverty-free day at the Convoy of Hope Frederick, Md.

“I live just around the corner and I’ve been here since before 7:00 this morning,” says one guest as he entered the gates of the fairgrounds to get much needed resources for his family.

The 2013 leg of our 50-state Community Outreach Tour was underway to provide guests of honor with essential services including; free groceries, haircuts, family portraits, health screenings and more that culminated in $1 million in goods and services to the less fortunate in the Frederick area.

Matt Thompson, west branch manager of the Maryland Food Bank, says there is a great need to feed the hungry in the Frederick area. “There are 17,000 people that are food-insecure in Frederick County – more than half of whom are children,” says Thompson. “Half of these families don’t financially qualify for federal food-assistance.”

Cindy brought her two young boys and her mother to the outreach seeking a little relief from a difficult situation.

“Two years ago I would have been volunteering,” says Cindy, looking at her new family portrait. Cindy’s family moved to Frederick for lower living costs but have been struggling since her husband lost his job two years ago. She works two jobs to help support her family and relies on her mother, Sharon, to help take care of the boys. Their family received hope and a fresh start by getting free groceries, haircuts, shoes and family portraits.

“It was an honor for us and our partners to be able to serve families like Cindy’s in the Frederick area,” says Ron Showers, community outreach director. “There are 46 million Americans currently living in poverty and our goal is to reach as many of those people as possible.”

More than 1,700 volunteers and 200 local organizations, churches and agencies were essential partners in the event. Convoy of Hope’s partner, the National Breast Cancer Foundation,  saw 740 women who normally couldn’t afford a health screening. Additional key partners included Maryland Food Bank, Samaritan’s Feet, Feed My Starving Children and Plum Organics. Maryland Food Bank provided more than 150,000 pounds of groceries for the event and has been feeding the hungry in Maryland since 1979.

Frederick, Md., tour fast facts:

Total guests of honor: 3,844
Total volunteers: 1,724
Total haircuts: 274
Total portraits: 500
Pairs of shoes given away through Samaritan’s Feet: 1,000
Meals packed by Feed My Starving Children: 100,000
Food packets from Plum Organics: 8,000

March

18 Baltimore, Maryland

30 New York

April

20 Koriyama, Japan

23 Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines

 

June

01 Higashimatsushima, Japan // Frederick, Md.

08 Kansas City, Mo. // Long Island, N.Y. (2 sites)

July

20 Hawaii (Molokai)

27 Hawaii (Honolulu & Leeward) // Kenosha, Wisc.

August

03 Wichita, Kan.

09 Orlando, Fla.

10 San Benito, Texas // Queretaro, Mexico

17 Beckley, W.V.  //  New Britain, Conn. // Sapulpa, Okla.  //  Springfield, Mass.

24 Tacoma, Wash. // Cheyenne, Wyo.

31 Honduras

September

07 Memphis, Tenn.

14 Sioux City, Iowa // Philadelphia, Penn. (6 sites) // San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

21 Nicaragua

28 Omaha, Neb.

October

05 Santa Ana, Calif.

12 Manchester, TN  //  Marlboro, Mass.

19 Leesburg, Va. // Comonfort, Mexico

November

23 El Paso, Texas // Las Cruces, N.M. (2 Sites) // Fresno, Calif.

 

*All dates and locations are subject to change