The Kent County Chamber of Commerce excitedly joined Pastors William and Karen Wheatley, volunteers, and members of the community for a ribbon on Thursday, May 27 to celebrate the opening of Hope House in Rock Hall, MD.
Founded by Pastors William and Karen Wheatley, Hope House is a free food and clothing bank whose mission is simple: Sharing the Hope by Sharing Food and Clothing.
Located in the former parsonage of Rock Hall Church of God (RHCoG), Hope House started with a vision three years ago when William and Karen were appointed to minister at the RHCoG. When contemplating the best use of the house, William stated he and Karen felt compelled to open a hope house to address the food and clothing insecurities felt by those in the local community.
With the vision set, William and Karen began monitoring other food and clothing banks in the region and noticed many only operated during normal business hours. When determining how to staff Hope House, William and Karen agreed that opening the facility in the late afternoon/early evening would be the best course of action to specifically serve those who have trouble getting off of work during the day to pick up needed supplies.
In a conversation with Sam Shoge, executive director of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce, Pastor William expressed his gratitude to the community for helping this vision come to fruition. Hope House received a grant from the Rotary Club of Chestertown to replace the flooring throughout the entire building. Pastors William and Karen Wheatley are excited to be a part of the community and are looking forward to building more partnerships, especially with other food and clothing banks.
Members of the community can donate non-perishable food and articles of clothing 24/7 to Hope House’s drop-off location located in the rear of the building and at Riverside Unique in Chestertown. Hope House will be staffed every third Thursday of the month from 4 pm - 7 pm for those in need of free food and clothing. In addition, Hope House will offer free assistance with resume writing, job interview prep, and more. For more information, contact Pastor Karen Wheatley at kwheatl@msn.com or Michael Riggin at docmerchandise@yahoo.com.
Photos courtesy Steven G. Atkinson. To see a portfolio from the day’s events and to license and or purchase prints, contact Steve at Photos@ShoreToBeFun.com.
In partnership with Kent County Economic and Tourism Development, the Kent County Chamber of Commerce is excited to offer ribbon-cutting celebrations to all businesses, nonprofits, or community organizations in Kent County celebrating newly opened or renovated spaces. Contact Sam Shoge, Kent Chamber Executive Director, at sshoge@kentchamber.org to start planning your ribbon cutting celebration today.
About the Kent County Chamber of Commerce
With more than 300 member businesses, nonprofits, and individuals, the Chamber is Kent County’s premier business-to-business facilitator. Through our many unique programs, events, and advocacy, we provide a platform for leaders from the private, public, and non-profit sectors to engage with each other to grow their respective organizations for the ultimate benefit of Kent County and its residents.
Interested in joining? Learn about the benefits of becoming a member today.
