Delthine Watson’s first involvement with Community Partners of Hope was as a volunteer who took home-cooked meals to share at the shelter. Today, Watson is the group’s community network specialist who is helping shape the vision to expand services to those who need help.
“That’s how I got started,” she told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk. “I would cook a meal and take it to the shelter. I couldn’t do much, but I could cook a meal.”
Watson was interested when the non-profit announced the creation of a new position to work in the community. It seemed like a good match, she said, adding that her real joy comes in helping others.
We’ve all needed assistance at one time or another, she said. Her belief is that we have all been ‘the least of these,’ those whom the Bible says we should treat with kindness. And Community Partners of Hope’s Christ-focused mission has the support of numerous churches throughout the Henderson area. “It really shows how the community has come together to work on a need,” she said.
Watson’s office is at First Presbyterian Church, a church she said has been “awesome. They have certainly been a blessing. Without their support and help it would have been much more difficult – not impossible, but much more difficult.”
One of the challenges is finding a way to have the shelter operating all year long instead of November through March. And having a place where the men who sleep at the shelter can go during the daytime where they can get job training or help with other challenges they face.
Currently, under COVID-19 protocols, Hope House has room for 10 men.
“I feel confident in saying there are many more men in need of assistance,” Watson said.
Long-range goals include having services for males, females and families, she said.
“Wouldn’t that be great? It would be wonderful if there could be a larger Hope House, to accommodate more men and help them move to a different place in their lives,” she said.
That dream can become a reality with community support – not just from the religious community, but from the community at-large.
As the old saying goes, “all it takes is time and money.”
She isn’t ready to get into the details yet, but she said a fundraising campaign will be announced “very soon.”
It’s an inevitable fact that in order to provide programs and services, there has to be money coming in to fund those programs and services. “You have to have it to be able to do what you need to do,” she said.
The group will be looking at possible locations where they can offer those expanded services, she added.
There are many ways to help, from making a monetary donation to providing needed supplies. Visit their Facebook page or website www.cp-hope.org
to find out exactly what they need, and to sign up to receive email updates.
While Watson admitted that it’s not likely the expansion of facilities or services will happen this year, she was quick to follow up with a disclaimer of sorts:
“Because we are are faith-based organization, we are a ministry – we don’t ever want to say never because we are not the ones in charge. If we believe in a Master who does miracles, then if He’s in the miracle-making business, who’s to say? Miracles happen all the time.”
