Outreach Opportunities

We have several different Outreach Opportunities!  Please keep in mind, many of the events our youth work are designed based on community needs, therefore, new events are being created based on our youth volunteers’ decisions.  Below, you will find a description of events that are most commonly on our calendar.

Homeless Outreach (once a month in two locations)
Placerville – Volunteers help prepare and serve food at a park in Placerville and at a couple more locations where families & individuals are temporarily housed by the county. We serve 40-50 people the third Saturday of each month. All age youth are welcome to participate in this outreach.

Sacramento – Volunteers help prepare 200-250 sack lunches at a local facility and then together, we carpool to downtown Sacramento. Upon arrival, our youth and adult volunteers distribute the lunches along with items collected during our school drives, such as toiletries, warm clothes, and blankets. This outreach takes place monthly and usually on a school holiday such as Veteran’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Spring Break, etc. All age youth are welcome to participate in this outreach.

Green Valley Community Church Saturday Cafe & Food Distribution (twice a month)
Green Valley is one of the largest El Dorado County food distribution points. The church serves between 150-300 people every Saturday, preparing and serving them a warm meal while they wait to go through the grocery food line. There is also a clothes closet where people can shop for free. Hands4Hope volunteers work the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month, helping distribute food, run carts, bag clothes, serve the meal, clear tables, etc. All age youth are welcome to participate in this outreach.

Green Valley Community Church Kid’s Cafe/Project Birthday! (twice a month)
The Kid’s Café is cooperative effort between GVCC and Hands4Hope. It is a safe place for the children of the Saturday Café clients to go while their parents wait & go through the grocery line (which can sometimes take 2 hours) and shop for clothes. Our youth and adult volunteers plan and implement kid-friendly activities each week based on a theme. The 4th Saturday of the month is the day we celebrate the birthdays of all the children with birthdays in that month by making them feel extra special. Hands4Hope runs the Kid’s Café the 2nd & 4th Saturdays of the month. Middle and high school youth are welcome to participate in this outreach.

Food Bank Blitz (twice a year)
The Food Bank Blitz is one of our largest volunteer events. Our members sign up to work shifts at several grocery store locations through out the area. While working, they educate the community about hunger issues, collect food, gift card donations, and money to distribute to local food banks and to help support our outreach programs.

Soldier Care Package Drive (once a year)
In the weeks leading up to Independence Day, our youth organize and develop a drive to collect items to package for our Soldier Care Package Drive. Our members help distribute boxes, make signs, and set up participating businesses as drop off locations. Shortly after the drive finishes, volunteers come together to pack the boxes to send away to our soldiers.

Winter Boutique (Once a year for a series of days)
Volunteers of all ages decorate and set up a boutique filled with warm clothing and donated items from our Warm & Fuzzy Drive.  Members in need from our communities are invited to come and shop for free for items for them and their families.  Our volunteers assist them in picking out items and keeping the boutique organized.

“Service Learning works. It engages teachers, parents, volunteers, and, most of all, our youth intoareas where learning becomes real and it fosters youth developing greater compassion for those less fortunate. Learning is much more than just a math test. Learning takes on true meaning when students see someone’s face light up as a result of food being provided to a family that needs some assistance or receiving much needed clothing.  Hands4Hope is a tremendous organization for our youth and for all those that are the beneficiaries of their efforts.”
-Dr. Vicki Barber, El Dorado County Superintendent