2023 Annual Conference Request Meeting Space Find a church Clergy Directory Districts Church Dashboard SupportLinc Staff Email
About Us Bishop Beard Leadership Resources News Get Involved

Fair Hope Children's Ministry receives grant funding

3/24/2021

DANVILLE -- Fair Hope Children’s Ministry is a faith-based mission program created with the specific goal of giving assistance to children of Vermilion County, Illinois. Fair Hope provides new and gently-used clothing for infants through high school age youth, layettes for newborns, play yards used as a safe place for babies to sleep, convertible car seats for infants from 5 to 40 pounds, winter coats, backpacks, and school supplies.  Our ministry helps low income families regardless of their religion or ethnic background or level of disability. 

Clients are referred to us by Aunt Martha’s Center for Youth and Family Solutions, Crosspoint Women’s Shelter, Center for Youth and Family Solutions, East Central Illinois Community Action, Illinois Department of Human Services, Love INC, Salvation Army, Senator Scott Bennett’s office, I GROW, and other local social service agencies, schools, churches, and health care facilities. We are touching the community one child at a time.

Fair Hope Children’s Ministry began in 2004 as a vision for outreach ministry that sought to reach out to a broader community to provide critical support to children in need. To this end, our mission center was established in the unused Bowman Avenue UMC parsonage at 908 May Street. Fair Hope was gifted the building which formerly housed George’s Buffet Restaurant located at 1225 East Voorhees St. in Danville. After over a year of renovation to this building, we moved into our new ministry center in August 2020.  Fair Hope has been serving families in need at these two locations for the past 16 years.

In addition, our ministry was gifted the building that formerly housed Berry’s Bearings located at 1303 North Griffin Street.  This building is being used as a storage facility for clothing, school supplies, and more.   

Fair Hope Children’s Ministry is a cooperative ministry of seven area United Methodist Churches.  Volunteers serve our clients on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

During the 2019 program year,

  • 465 families shopped for basic clothing needs and related items for 1,329 children;
  • 71 play yards which provided a safe sleeping environment for infants were distributed;
  • 68 layettes with new clothing and baby supplies were provided;
  • 51 convertible car seats were given;
  • 206 winter coats were provided;
  • More than 250 backpacks along with school supplies were distributed in partnership with school social workers in Vermilion County.
The United Methodist Foundation Grant funds are being spent to purchase needed clothing for the children that we serve. The Foundation Grant will allow us to purchase clothing based upon requests from our clients. The grant will assist us in matching the needs of our clients with the inventory we have on hand.

Since our ministry relies on donations, we don’t always get what our families need or request. There are certain sizes of clothing that we desperately need and rarely receive from donations. The ministry frequently needs children’s pajamas in larger sizes and school clothes for boys and girls in sizes 6, 7, 8, and 10. Children feel better about receiving new clothes that fit. With funds from the Foundation, we will be able to provide clothing in needed sizes.  Our ministry wishes to provide quality clothing to families in need to promote confidence and self-worth in the children of Vermilion County.  

Fair Hope Children’s Ministry is very grateful to the United Methodist Foundation for this grant. These funds will allow us to continue to give assistance to children in need in Vermilion County, Illinois.   

News