I've been a volunteer at the Downtown Soup Kitchen since 2007. It's hard for me to even put into words how I feel about the Hope Center because it is such a steady, God-filled, joyful-in-the-midst-of-challenge, love-filled place of hope in my own life. It fulfills its mission admirably, serving and training those on the margins in Anchorage. The staff at the Hope Center are amazing and serve so selflessly, giving the glory to God. This is Christianity at its best, serving those in need, and relying on the Lord to provide. Praise to God for His provision and may His work continue to transform lives. Go Team Hope Center!
Very organized non profit organization to help the homeless. Get to volunteer with great people mainly based on the volunteers and the 20% of actual workers are former members of hardship.
Great environment
The Hope Center is truly a Blessing and answer to many years of prayers , for my daughters life !!
She now has a purpose and is walking in Gods light, on a new journey and a hopeful future
Thank you for all of God’s helping hands at Hop Center ♥️
The Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center is amazing. I recently started volunteering by serving dinner to the women that are in the shelter. Everyone is treated with an abundance of dignity and respect. The entire facility is clean and organized. Those working there and volunteering are genuinely happy to be there. I am in awe of what the Hope Center does in our community for the homeless. I feel honored to be able to work beside these men and women.
The Downtown Hope Center prioritizes people over money. They aren’t concerned with getting millions of dollars for unpractical solutions but focus on meeting the needs of homeless and hurting individuals through private donations and grants that support not just their services but their mission. You can’t have lasting, impactful change without Jesus and the Downtown Hope Center never forgets to put Jesus first in all that they do. He is the miracle worker, He is the one saving people off of streets, and the Downtown Hope Center opens up their space to Jesus to come in and help and heal. Their Job Training program is the gateway for homeless guests to have community and break through external and internal obstacles with the love of Jesus leading the way.
I volunteered as the Monday soup cook for several years after retiring from teaching. It was always a challenge to create a tasty soup from whatever ingredients we had…between oddball donations, creative staff and dedicated volunteers it happened every time! Have you ever seen the size of the pot? I learned to value the people we served as clients, their stories and challenges. I appreciated the other volunteers and their many reasons for participating in this deserving charity. I started in the little old house and transitioned to the new facility, helped to build a rooftop garden to supply fresh ingredients for soups and enjoyed every moment of my time there. Thank you for all that you do!
Thank you for excepting me when I was homeless and where I had a opportunity to become saved and baptized! Thank you Lord God for allowing that to happen!
The Hope Center is a fantastic group of people that are committed to their mission helping the homeless community and housing 70 women. For those that are interested they have a bakery and culinary school that educates their students and teaches them to move forward with hope and forgiveness. I have been volunteering with the Hope Center for the past 1 1/2 years and am honored to be able to contribute.
The Downtown Soup Kitchen does so much for the homeless and those on the edge of being homeless. It’s more than just feeding and clothing the poor. The DSP offers a culinary training program, they offer shelter for women. It’s called the Downtown soup Kitchen Hope Center…. It really does offer Hope for people. They have a gracious and loving Staff
I bike from the downtown courthouse to the jail in the mornings, and every week I would see a line of people gathering to be fed by the Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center. It was very inspiring to know that people had a place they knew they could go to get food consistently and that the system the Hope Center had set up was working well. Keep up the good work!
This wonderful center gives Hope to so many who would have none. The resources of a bed and food are vital along with shower and laundry facilities, but also speakers and programs and a staff that is very patient and values the homeless that stay with them. I became involved with a women who was staying there this last year and they are the reason she is still alive and sought help.
Being new to Anchorage, a friend made me aware of the Hope Center . She is passionate about living out her faith and shared of her current volunteer involvement there and throughout her children's growing up years. Also, when our church family began extending more outreach to our unhoused neighbors, the Hope Center was one of two local places given as resources to obtain help. Why? Because persons can receive the love of God through: Lunches six days a week, showers, clothing handouts, mail handouts, laundry services and can check in for the women's shelter. They also run a culinary training program to give people a hand up and out of their situation. God's love is truly not just "in word" but clearly "in deed" and lived out in many actions that can make a positive difference to benefit the common good of neighbors who are currently in need. Our women's church group utilized the culinary skills of the trainees for a lunch at a conference and it was so delicious! Their work was high caliber. I highly recommend this local non profit for anyone's support.
I volunteered in the clothing center at the Downtown Soup Kitchen for about a year. It was a great experience where I got to know wonderful people and serve my Anchorage community. The Soup Kitchen is run very professionally but also does a great job to maintain a fun and caring atmosphere. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to volunteer their time where they can make a significant impact in the lives of others.
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I volunteered at the Hope Center for a year. The people are amazing and the programs they offer really make a positive impact in the Anchorage community. The Hope Center provides food, shelter, clothing, employment opportunities to people in need, but most of all they offer hope through the message of the Gospel. They provide a safe and enriching environment to those they minister. I can’t say enough positive things about this organization.
Where do I begin,?!
Hello my name is Alyssa Jacoy.
I am a survivor of the Alaskan streets, and got back on my feet.
I support your guy's supportive services, I enjoy the soup at the soup kitchen, and the warm welcome it brings.
I also am grateful, I opened up my heart, and I donated all my clothes there several times because I didnt have any where to put them, and I thought someone else can put them to use.
I also contributed part of my permanent fund dividend 3 years in a row, so the state wouldnt take all of my funds away, and sincere way to say thank you for helping me through all my hard times and Quayana to Jesus for leading my your guys way!
Thank you and God Bless!!!
I started volunteering at the Downtown Hope Center in February 2022.
Helping others helped me with grief after the loss of my Son and Husband 3 years ago.
There is so much JOY and LAUGHTER in the kitchen.
The HOPE Center really does give hope to the hopeless. There is love and Safety within these walls. I am blessed to be a volunteer.
What a blessing the Downtown Hope Center is for Anchorage. The loving staff and volunteers make such a positive difference in the lives of many. As a regular volunteer, it is truly a gift to be able to witness God working and transforming lives. There is hope and renewal at DHC!
The soup kitchen is a great place that helps the homeless here in our community. The people here are a "family" of staff and volunteers who have a passion in helping people. I think that it not only helps the homeless but the volunteers have a since of being part of something really great. It helps me keep healthy by exercising by keeping busy instead of being a couch potato.
I have been so blessed by the opportunity to serve at the Hope Center. Working with our homeless neighbors has given me much more compassion and understanding. I am also grateful to serve with such an exceptional staff and team of fellow volunteers. This is a very special place.
At the time I joined the down town soup kitchen, I was in a low point of my life due to grief. My bride of 63 years was suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. When I entered the soup kitchen, I felt like home. I determined this is where I needed to be and it proved to be correct. I look forward each week and there is so much joy on the labor of love. You have helped me to heal. Thank you
The best thing about this non-profit is that everyone who comes through the doors is treated with love and respect. When I have been there to volunteer, the folks are genuinely happy and the staff always has kind words for the clients. The people in the program where they learn to bake are given excellent training and they learn a life skill. This is great place to invest your money to see people's lives changed for the better!
I’ve been a donor and supporter of the Hope Center for years because they are taking ever possible opportunity to pour into the lives of the homeless in Anchorage. They do way more than provide a warm meal and a place to spend the night, but they are creating a loving, caring community and offering Christ to those most in need. Their programs are amazing and the ways they are helping change lives is awesome!
I'm proud to support Downtown Hope Center. I'm confident that our donations go directly to support the needy in our community without excessive fundraising and administrative expense. DHC is doing great things with the Suite for Hope and the program that teaches culinary skills that enable clients to get back on their feet and gain steady employment.
We are thankful for the work of staff at Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center to provide showers, clean clothes, meals for those in need and a safe place for nighttime shelter for women. We appreciate their commitment to not only offering a hand out but also a hand up as they train people with skills for employment.
In addition to our family support, our church family also gives a yearly donation, and donates to the Hope Center all produce grown in our church garden each year.
I’ve been a volunteer at the Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center for 20 years. I raised my son volunteering here and now my two grandsons have volunteered here since they were two years old! Being a volunteer here has been a tremendous blessing to me and my whole family. You think you are helping and blessing other people by volunteering here but the truth is you, the volunteer, are the ones being blessed far greater than you can imagine. We PRAISE GOD for the Downtown Hope Center!!!
Comment from my husband;
The Downtown Hope Center is our family’s personal volunteer location. These pictures represent three generations of service. Our son is pictured in the last picture on the far right. The rest are of our grandsons and daughter in law along with my wife and I.
Downtown Hope Center has been a light in a very dark time in Anchorage Alaska. They have made a huge difference in our community at large , as to how we view those that are homeless and in need of help. The stigma of being homeless is fading. The staff and volunteers are not only dedicated. They are motivated by the love that Jesus pours through them daily. And most importantly, you can see the faith that is lighting the hearts and souls of the guests. It is a magnificent nonprofit association. There is an integrity and commitment to the city.
Downtown Soup Kitchen Hope Center warmly receives guests, truly loving them while providing with excellence basic needs: showers, laundry, meals, as well as safe shelter for women.
I volunteer regularly at this wonderful place. The change in lives from broken and hopeless to restored hope and joy is something I still find miraculous. The staff is a mix of all kinds of backgrounds but so united in compassion and wisdom. This is truly a Center for hope restored and lives transformed.
I volunteer two nights a week in the shower house and laundry. The women who stay at the shelter are diverse but share many things in common; mainly, they need love and unconditional acceptance without judgement. The women I've met are grateful for the help they receive here. This shelter has amazing staff who work hard and strive to meet the needs of guests. Many staff and volunteers understand first-hand what some are experiencing and pray with and minister to them from a place of healing. The food here is awesome and the atmosphere is calming, warm and safe.
They can always use laundry soap for washing guests' clothes and bedding, women's clothing, shampoo, bodywash, lotions, shavers, q-tips and other toiletries. Everything done here at the Hope Center is done in the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.
I love this ministry.I volunteer regularly and I see first hand many lives transformed, it lives up to its name, providing hope and help to those in need.
I volunteer at the soup kitchen and 400-500 meals are served daily. In addition to feeding the hungry, shower and laundry facilities as well as clothing are provided. The soup kitchen is currently in the beginning process of providing emergency cold weather women's shelter to fill a desperate need for insufficient beds for the homeless women.