Today marks another powerful testament to the body of Christ in action. As volunteers flooded Mountain Park Church for HOPE for the Homeless’ Bag Packing & Meal Prep event on September 20th, 2025, the overwhelming response produced extraordinary results: over 4,000 HOPE bags packed for distribution throughout Arizona. This record-breaking turnout reminded us why this ministry has become a cornerstone of compassionate outreach across the state.
HOPE for the Homeless – an acronym for “Humbly Offering Positive Encouragement” – represents far more than charitable work. This Phoenix-based ministry embodies the Gospel call to serve “the least of these,” addressing the intersection of homelessness and addiction recovery with both practical support and spiritual hope.
Since its founding, HOPE has delivered over 36,000 HOPE bags to Arizona’s homeless population, mobilizing more than 200 volunteers across 80+ community events in 2024 alone. Each bag contains essential supplies: toiletries, first aid items, socks, survival blankets, and critically – Scripture readings and resource guides that offer pathways to recovery and restoration.
Today’s massive volunteer turnout reflects a growing recognition that addressing homelessness requires both meeting immediate physical needs and acknowledging the deeper spiritual battles many face. As founder and ministry leaders consistently emphasize, chemical dependency and homelessness are intertwined challenges that demand both practical compassion and hope-filled intervention.
The ministry’s approach is refreshingly direct: “loving the homeless for who they are, where they are.” This philosophy has resonated throughout Arizona’s faith community, creating a movement that extends far beyond a single congregation or denomination.
As volunteers packed over 4,000 HOPE bags today—exceeding their typical 3,000-3,500 bag capacity—they weren’t just filling containers with supplies. They were extending tangible expressions of God’s love to those society often overlooks across Arizona’s cities and towns. In a time when many feel overwhelmed by social challenges, HOPE for the Homeless demonstrates how local churches can make measurable, lasting impact through faithful, consistent service.
The ministry continues year-round, with regular serve weekends that include 12-Step Recovery meetings, home-cooked meals, and ongoing relationship building with Phoenix’s homeless community.
History & Mission.
https://www.hope4thehomelessaz.com/about
HOPE for the Homeless was started in 2012 by Tim Berry and a small group of men at Mountain Park Church dedicated to helping people suffering from substance abuse and addiction. What started as a recovery program quickly expanded into a support group for indigent and unsheltered persons in Phoenix. Providing nutritious meals to those in need has always been a critical part of the outreach mission of Hope for the Homeless. Over the years the services offered by Hope for the Homeless have expanded where today volunteers prepare and serve nutritious hot meals, pack and distribute Hope Bags filled with essential personal care items – soap, shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brushes, deodorant, sunscreen, first aid kits, bottled water along with clothing, blankets and non-perishable food items. Annually over 50,000 men and women receive services provided by Hope for the Homeless and its faithful sponsors and volunteers.
In 2018 HOPE for the Homeless was incorporated as an Arizona nonprofit corporation and is a tax exempt non-profit charity under section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. In addition HOPE for the Homeless is a Qualified Charitable Organization as designated by the Arizona Department of Revenue.
Today HOPE for the Homeless delivers on its mission through the efforts of dedicated volunteers who serve the community by packing Hope Bags preparing and serving meals and distributing essential personal care items and food. Volunteers are essential to carrying out the mission of HOPE for the Homeless by donating their time, resources and services to the mission of HOPE for the Homeless.
Since the beginning HOPE for the Homeless has been dedicated to supporting individuals in need of education, advice, comfort and counsel in the areas of (1) substance abuse – including abstinence, avoidance and recovery; (2) continued sobriety; (3) seeking, obtaining and maintaining gainful employment; (4) finding safe, secure temporary and permanent housing; (5) maintaining personal health and hygiene; (6) growing in their religious faith; and (7) gaining a respect for healthy nutrition and living, together with all other acts and activities that directly or indirectly support the foregoing.
For more information about HOPE for the Homeless or to get involved, visit hope4thehomelessaz.com
Photos of today’s volunteers.
I Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Great blog Brother Dennis! Reminds us to be intentional not just churchgoers. The work is out there to have compassion for the lost to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And service to those who are less fortunate.