For Hometown News
PALM CITY -- Palm City Presbyterian Church has raised $97,000 in its campaign to purchase a refrigerated truck for House of Hope.
The Rev. Richard Anderson, senior pastor at Palm City Presbyterian, launched the campaign in early November, encouraging church members to raise $50,000 by Dec. 23. The campaign almost doubled its goal.
"We are so grateful for the outpouring of generosity from our friends at Palm City Presbyterian Church," said Elizabeth Barbella, chief executive officer of House of Hope.
"It is truly amazing what a few committed people can inspire and accomplish with a little help from their friends. With their gifts, the members of PCPC are truly loving their neighbors in deed and in truth."
The $97,000 truck campaign total includes $8,464 raised by the church's second annual Turkey Trot 5K road race, held on Thanksgiving morning.
In addition to contributing to the refrigerated truck campaign, church members donated an additional $32,936 to House of Hope this past year and also raised 2,422 pounds of food.
In total during 2012, the Palm City Presbyterian family has contributed $129,936 to enable HOH to meet its mission of empowering Martin County residents to overcome hunger and hardship.
The refrigerated truck, which has been ordered and should be ready by the end of February, is important to House of Hope, as the agency ramps up its efforts to acquire and distribute fresh and frozen food.
The truck will enable House of Hope to pick up food from growers and grocers and also transport it safely from the agency's hub in Stuart to branches in Hobe Sound, Indiantown and Jensen Beach. The result will be a greater amount of fresh, nutritious food for the people House of Hope serves.
Last year, House of Hope provided the equivalent of about 280,000 meals to county residents in need in addition to running programs that provide clothing, financial assistance and case management.
For more information about Palm City Presbyterian, call (772) 286-9958 or visit www.palmcitypres.org.
For more information about House of Hope, call (772) 286-4673 or visit www.hohmartin.org.