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Day of Hope provides food, entertainment for free
By Bob Jackson
YOUNGSTOWN
Barbara Riley simply couldn’t contain the smile on her face or the gratitude in her heart as she savored her last day of being 56.
“This is a blessed day for so many people,” the Youngstown woman said. “My birthday is tomorrow, and I’m going to carry this good feeling right on into tomorrow.”
Riley, who by now has turned 57, and her friend, Vicki Grissett, 64, were among hundreds of people who turned out Saturday for The Day of Hope at Wilson Middle School on Gibson Street. A similar event took place simultaneously at Salem High School in Columbiana County.
The family-oriented event on Youngstown’s South Side was sponsored by Convoy of Hope, NOW Youngstown, Community Initiative to Reduce Violence and Youngstown City Schools.
Families and individuals were welcome to take home groceries, get a haircut, have a family portrait taken and enjoy games, lunch and entertainment, all of which were free. There also was a carnival-like room for kids, with bounce-arounds, an inflatable slide and a host of other games and activities.
Dozens of volunteers were on hand to help keep pedestrian traffic moving and ensure that people were directed to the proper areas for what they wanted.
Pastor Nathan Ortiz of Victory Christian Center, who was one of the event coordinators, said visitors were given two bags of groceries, a full chicken and some potatoes. Since it was the first time for the event, planners weren’t sure what to expect, especially given the recent cold weather in the area.
“We are very pleased with the turnout,” a smiling Ortiz said as he watched people filling the halls and rooms of the middle school. “It’s wonderful that so many people came out for this.”
About 250 adults, some of whom had been waiting for hours to get in, were ushered into the building within the first half-hour. Close to 1,000 people were expected to be seen and served during the three-hour event.
Ortiz said the Assemblies of God’s statewide organization donated the groceries, while other food and items were donated locally.
As people presented vouchers and got in line to wait for groceries, volunteers were waiting to pray with them, if they so desired.
Shaylia Gurley, 26, of Youngstown, brought her 8-year-old daughter, Shyanne, to enjoy the fun.
“I like the family atmosphere,” Gurley said of why she and her daughter came out. “It’s a nice event, and it’s good for the neighborhoods.”
She stood smiling widely as Shyanne posed for a portrait sporting a 3-foot-high hat made of braided purple and white balloons. Gurley said they were going to get some groceries to take home before they left.
Mickey Hagwood, 64, of Youngstown, said she came to the event to get some groceries, but plans to pay it forward.
“I’m going to get some things for Thanksgiving so I can bless someone else,” she said. “I’m not going to have a [public] dinner, but I’ll give someone else a plate who doesn’t have one.”
Hagwood said she arrived and got in line about 10:30 a.m. to wait for the doors to open at 1 p.m.
For Tim Beebe, 52, and his wife, Pam, 59, the emphasis was more on giving at The Day of Hope. The husband-and-wife missionary team donated blood together, which also was something visitors to the event could do.
The couple, who live in Youngstown, recently returned from a nearly five-year term serving as missionaries in El Salvador. They plan to remain rooted locally now and attend their home church, Victory Christian Center. But they do have short-term mission trips planned next year to Uganda, Israel and Kenya.
“We are all about giving,” said Pam, who is a nurse and a respiratory therapist. “We love serving the people less fortunate.”
Tim also is a respiratory therapist, and the couple use their medical backgrounds to help care for children in poverty-stricken areas as part of their missionary goal.
The Beebes’ 16-year-old daughter, Emily, was among the several teen-agers who served as volunteers for The Day of Hope.