NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Hopeville Family Ministries in New Port Richey is facing increasing overhead costs and worries that it might have to close its doors for good.
What You Need To Know
- Hopeville Ministries helps to feed more than a thousand families a week
- Overhead costs like broke air conditioners and refrigerators is making the nonprofit consider closing
- It has provided meals for more than seven years
- A GoFundMe page has been established for residents who'd like to help
Pastor Russ Berry says the work helps so many in need.
“We had a single mother with a baby – a 4-month-old – and to see the smile on her face because she didn’t have any food and we put together an emergency box for her with diapers and baby formula,” Berry said.
The ministry is facing an uncertain future. Overhead costs are growing, and it needs money to replace aging refrigerators and old air conditioners.
Nancy Berry is the Executive Director of Hopeville and says they simply don’t have the funding to keep up. The nonprofit has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money to keep operations going.
“When you lease a place, a lot of times now the landlords want you to replace the unit if the A/C unit goes out," Berry said. "Some of the units here were put in around 2006, and we’re just keeping everything alive. We can’t afford to replace the entire units."
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