New Hope Ministries Invites Community to Celebrate Its New Mechanicsburg West Shore Center

(Mechanicsburg, Pa.) - To celebrate the opening of New Hope Ministries’ new Mechanicsburg West Shore Center, the Christian social service agency is holding an open house and dedication ceremony on Monday, June 28, 2010 from 1:00 - 6:00 p.m. Located at 5228 E. Trindle Road in Mechanicsburg, the event will feature guest speakers at 2:00 p.m., including Congressman Todd Platts.

Founded in 1983, the three centers (Dillsburg, Dover and Mechanicsburg West Shore Center) provide emergency crisis assistance, including food, transportation for job purposes, financial assistance for utilities, counseling, and referral services to local, low-income families and individuals. The community-based organization also offers after-school and summer youth programs. Overall, New Hope serves approximately 7,000 people each year in areas within York and Cumberland counties.

According to Eric Saunders, Executive Director of New Hope Ministries, “Congressman Platts was one of the community leaders who brought the unmet human needs of the West Shore area to New Hope’s attention. With the expansion of New Hope Ministries’ services and new building, the communities of Mechanicsburg, Enola, Wormleysburg, Camp Hill, Lemoyne, and New Cumberland will now have access to basic needs services such as food, heat and utilities, and assistance with housing, transportation, and/or healthcare.”

Because of its state-of-the-art features, including loading docks and forklifts, the new location is able to accept larger quantities more efficiently. Unlike other organizations that provide food pantries, New Hope now has the ability to accept large donations from businesses because equipment is available to lift the items. In addition, the center has 15,000 square feet available to stock the donated items, and refrigeration to store food for a longer period of time. By reaching out to members of the communities and area businesses, New Hope is striving to provide over 750 tons of food each year to families and individuals in need.

“The current economic conditions have had a big impact on the nonprofit community; donations are down, but peoples’ needs are up. However, we hope that with the new building, people will be just as excited as we are to help the communities that were being missed when it came to receiving basic needs services. Whether it’s volunteering, donating food, or providing a financial contribution, New Hope welcomes the support,” states Saunders.

Due to limited parking space at the new location, parking for the event will be at 5275 E. Trindle Road, with regular shuttle vans taking guests to and from the center. Should you need special accommodations, please contact New Hope Ministries at 717-432-2087.

About New Hope Ministries
New Hope Ministries is a community-based, Christian, social service agency that shows the love and hope of Christ by meeting the needs of low income families and individuals through our crisis assistance centers in Dillsburg, Dover and Mechanicsburg West Shore. New Hope provides help with food, housing, utility, transportation needs, and medical care to approximately 7,000 individuals from 3,000 different families every year. As New Hope meets the urgent needs of clients in crisis, they also endeavor to counsel them towards long-term stability. In addition, New Hope provides structured after school programs for underprivileged youth to help them learn educational and life skills in order to prepare them for success in school and life. For more information on New Hope Ministries visit www.nhm-pa.org.