Your Time & Talent
can help save lives
Welcome to the family of volunteers at the Hope Center! Our volunteers, who generously give of their time and talents, allow us to rebuild lives every day. Your commitment to volunteering at the Hope Center will have a positive impact on our community and on the lives of those we serve. We are happy you are here; please join us! For more information, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Carey Cairo, at 859-721-0144 ext. 222 or ccairo@hopectr.org.
ATTENTION HOPE CENTER VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORTERS
Due to COVID-19 precautions, we have suspended all in-person volunteering in all programs and buildings. We do offer remote volunteer opportunities so that our community can stay involved during this time.
Thank you for your patience as we implement procedures to keep our clients and community safe. Please keep watch of our social media for any upcoming changes.
Individual Opportunities
Serve a Meal
Our Jacobs Hope Cafeteria serves over 38,000 meals per month, and we rely on dedicated volunteers to help us feed the homeless. Our staff prepares and cooks the meal, and we utilize volunteers to serve meals and drinks to our clients. Volunteers serving meals must be over age 12, and volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult parent, guardian or group leader.
We can accommodate a maximum of 6 volunteers per meal service.
Donate Food
The Jacobs Hope Cafeteria provides over 38,000 meals per month to our homeless clients. We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner 365 days per year, relying on the generosity of donors to help offset the cost of food. Food donations may be dropped off at the Jacobs Hope Cafeteria, 299 W. Loudon Avenue.
Share Your Expertise
Are you a personal trainer? Work in banking, food service or a health service field? Do you have a special skill or some kind of training that may benefit the needs of our clients? Let us know!
Our Recovery Clients all attend Life Skills classes, which prepare them for successful independent living. We have volunteers who teach a variety of classes, including personal finance, healthy cooking, anger management and meditation, and more.
Volunteer at an Event
The Hope Center has special events throughout the year, and we are always in need of volunteers to help us make our events a success! Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Carey Cairo at 859-721-0144 ext. 222 or ccairo@hopectr.org to learn more.
Host a Needs Drive
Our clients are getting back on their feet, and the Hope Center can always use donations of gently-used clothing, household items and travel size personal hygiene items, such as shampoo, soap, disposable razors, shaving cream and deodorant. We cannot accept any alcohol based toiletries including hand sanitizer or mouthwash.
Donations of men’s clothing and toiletries, as well as hats, gloves and outerwear may be dropped off at any time of the day at the Men’s Emergency Shelter located at 360 W. Loudon Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky.
Donations of women’s clothing may be dropped off at the Ball-Quantrell Recovery Center for Women, located at 1524 Versailles Road in Lexington, KY.
Hopemobile Sandwich Making
Our mobile outreach program, the HopeMobile, distributes 100-150 brown bag lunches each day to the downtown Lexington homeless and marginally housed. We rely on volunteers to prepare sandwiches/ lunches for HopeMobile.
Sandwiches and bag lunches can be made at your own convenience, at your location, with as many or as few volunteers as you have available, then dropped at the Emergency Shelter at 360 W. Loudon Avenue.
Your time
empowers people
Non-profit organizations deeply need your commitment to volunteering, and it has such a positive impact on our community and on the lives of those we serve. Please consider volunteering with your time and making a difference at the Hope Center.
Group Opportunities
Learn and Serve
This half-day opportunity combines hands-on service with an educational tour of the Men’s Emergency Shelter to provide your group with a deeper understanding of the issues of homelessness, poverty and addiction. Participants emerge from this session as educated advocates who can bring new insight about the issues of homelessness and poverty to their work places and communities.
A session can be designed to meet the needs of your group. We are happy to collaborate with you to ensure that your group gains knowledge of the issues that interest you. A typical Learn and Serve day will include a tour, presentation of our programs and the opportunity to serve a meal at the Jacobs Hope Cafeteria. Perfect for groups of 5-15 volunteers.
Evening Sponsor and Serve
This opportunity allows volunteers to supply the food for a meal or make a fiscal contribution covering the cost of food and interact with our clients though hands-on service. Not only will you have the satisfaction of covering the cost of a meal, you will have the chance to see your donation put to work as you help prepare the food and serve our clients! The average cost for a meal is $200+, and we typically serve around 200 people per meal.
Unable to cover the cost of a meal? The Hope Center appreciates any donation of your group’s time and energy. Groups are more than welcome to serve meals whether or not they are able to sponsor them. Please note that our meal service calendar does book up in advance so plan ahead! Perfect for 3-10 volunteers.
Serve a Meal
Our Jacobs Hope Cafeteria serves over 38,000 meals per month, and we rely on church groups, civic groups and businesses to help us feed the homeless. Our staff prepares and cooks the meal, and we utilize volunteers to serve meals and drinks to our clients. Meal times are as follows:
Breakfast: Mon. – Fri. 6:30 – 7:30 a.m. & Sat. – Sun. 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Lunch: Noon – 1:00 p.m. Everyday
Dinner: 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Everyday
We can accommodate a maximum of 6-8 volunteers per meal service.
Other Group Service Projects
Between our Men’s and Women’s Recovery Centers, Men’s Emergency Shelter and the Jacobs House, there is always something that needs to be done! We utilize business groups, churches and other dedicated volunteer groups for projects such as painting, landscaping, and cleaning projects. To schedule a group service project, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Carey Cairo at 859-721-0144 ext. 222 or ccairo@hopectr.org. Perfect for groups of 5 – 15 volunteers.
Volunteer Application
Please complete this application form if you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the Hope Center. Once you complete the form, click the submit button at the bottom. We ask for church and employer information in order to build better relationships with local churches and businesses. This information is not required but encouraged.
Get Help
Emergency Shelter
360 W. Loudon Ave. Lexington, KY 40508
859-252-7881
Hyde Hope Health Clinic: 859-225-5035
(For Recovery Program intake, call the Emergency Shelter and ask for Intake)
Reach Us
Men's Recovery Intake Number
859-252-7881
Women's Recovery Intake Number
859-252-2002
Donations & volunteers
859-721-0144
The Hope Center is a 501c3 non-profit.
For all donations or volunteer assistance contact the Development Department at 859-721-0144.
For Men’s Emergency Shelter and Recovery Program questions and intake call 859-252-7881.
For Women’s Recovery Program intake call 859-252-2002.
Copyright © 2018 The Hope Center, Lexington, KY. All Rights Reserved. Site designed by Block & Gray

