UPS helps out House of Hope

VOLUNTEERS FROM UPS and United Way of Rhode Island gather after helping organize a sewing room used by House of Hope Community Development Corporation for their supported employment program, House of Hope Boutique. / COURTESY UNITED WAY
VOLUNTEERS FROM UPS and United Way of Rhode Island gather after helping organize a sewing room used by House of Hope Community Development Corporation for their supported employment program, House of Hope Boutique. / COURTESY UNITED WAY

WARWICK – Volunteers from UPS recently helped organize a room used to support an employment program to benefit House of Hope Community Development Corp.
House of Hope is a nonprofit organization that provides housing and services for the homeless in Rhode Island.
Volunteers spent three hours at the Fran Conway House on Jefferson Boulevard on April 10 installing shelving and organizing a fabric room that stores materials for use in House of Hope’s supported employment program, House of Hope Boutique.
United Way of Rhode Island, a statewide organization that works to connect resources that help people in need, coordinated the volunteer effort.
Each year, UPS employees support the local community as United Way of Rhode Island donors and volunteers. ServeRI, an organization that connects people to service opportunities, also helped.
Russell Clark, UPS Providence’s community coordinator, said the group was “happy to help out the House of Hope and the United Way. It allowed all of us the ability to step back and reflect how easy it is to lend a helping hand to somebody in need.”
House of Hope Boutique serves formerly homeless individuals with a six-week sewing program and culminates with a paid employment opportunity in the programs storefront gift Boutique in the Apponaug Village area of Warwick. Participants learn the craft by producing handbags, totes, and other bags as well as custom pieces. They also participate in job readiness training and gain retail experience.
“This opportunity came at the perfect time,” says Christine Foisy, associate director of external relations and fund development at House of Hope. She is also the boutique’s business manager.
“We have so much material that has been donated to us but to keep it organized has proved to be overwhelming. This team coming in here and whipping that room into shape was a huge help for us.”

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