An evening of Hope

More than 400 people interested in helping meet the needs the less fortunate turned out for the second annual House of Hope gala on Nov. 17. That’s more than double the amount of people who came to the inaugural event in 2010, said Rev. Steven Milazzo, pastor at Bethlehem Assembly of God which runs the community outreach center.

There was a great mixture of all kinds of different people, including government officials and concerned citizens, he added. “I think what touched me this year were the stories of people going through similar situations, wanting to help,” he said.

There were 407 people in attendance at the Inn at New Hyde Park that night. Nassau County Legislator Francis Becker, who was the event’s honoree chairman, and Town of Hempstead officials, presented House of Hope with numerous awards for its community service. Valley Stream Mayor Ed Fare got in on the action, giving a citation to House of Hope for its work. And that was not all.

Paule Pachter, executive director of Long Island Cares which runs the Harry Chapin Food Bank, shared a stirring message about recognizing that people on Long Island are in need of food and clothing. Becker shared ways in which the local government and churches can work together to meet those needs. Essentially, the goal was to share House of Hope’s vision to help the community and also solicit help, including finding volunteers and collecting money to help the outreach center to “expand its reach,” he added.

The purpose of the gala was to make the community more aware of the problem of hunger, said House of Hope Director Dawnelle Miller. “It showed that House of Hope is there, not solving the problem, but working toward helping meet the need in a practical way of families in need right now,” she said, “and trying to get the community, businesses, private people and public officials to partner with us in the work we are doing.”

Miller said she and everyone enjoyed the event, which went well and took several months to plan. There was a full team of volunteers who had begun organizing in March to get things done, including setting up at the venue. Last year, the volunteers had looked around at a number of venues before choosing the Inn, primarily because of its elegance, she said.

There were weekly planning sessions for approximately three months before the event, Milazzo added. It took a lot of work, he said, and is thankful for all of those who helped out. In fact, Milazzo thanked everyone for their diligent support, and encouraged them to financially support House of Hope.

Utlimately, Milazzo hopes that House of Hope can find a larger facility to house the collected food and clothing, he said. Currently, it is based in a house next to the church. He wants House of Hope to become a model organization in how churches and non-profit groups work with and assist communities. “We believe in transforming each community,” he said, “one community at a time.”