Grover Price and his mother Darlene Price are striving to make a difference in their northwest Roanoke City neighborhood, opening the Hope Center at 506 11th Street as a home for their Role Modelz afterschool program for children.
The Hope Center also offers job mentoring skills for adults, working with local residents on professional development, job searches and resume creation. The center strives to find shelter for local homeless people and last winter even became a temporary shelter of its own while also partnering with a local church.
All of that takes money to keep going – and now the small non-profit has opened the Cup of Hope Café – where patrons can purchase specialty coffee drinks, healthy smoothies, frappes, fresh juices, detox waters and to-go salads.
They cut the ribbon to officially commemorate the project with city officials on hand November 4th at 11am.
Darlene Lewis, the associate director, says there is a need to upgrade the facility, with additional computers needed for children and adults that come in to use them. “We’ve had a big response from the community [with adults] wanting to come in and update their resumes. We need a printer … and some other things for the Hope Center. The Role Modelz program offers help with homework, arts and craft activities and also provides snacks for the children that come there after school, as we keep them safe.”
Working with adults on changes to “their look and what they need to wear” in order to secure a job interview is also a priority, said Lewis. “What they need to say in an interview … and how to look for housing” is another component of what the Hope Center provides . . . “We’ve been really, really busy.”
In the same building right next door at 508 11th Street, Cup of Hope has been well received, added Lewis. The first ten people in line before the 11am opening on the 4th prior to the ribbon cutting received a free drink every month for one year. During a recent fish and chicken lunchtime fundraiser the 100th Cup of Hope café customer was awarded a free lunch, as well.
With an initiative to have more healthy foods available in designated “food deserts” like those found in northwest Roanoke and other parts of the city, Lewis said Cup of Hope can fulfill some of that mission right now.
“If they haven’t gotten it there in the corner store [one is planned at the corner of 11th Street and Orange Avenue, perhaps by the spring] we have fresh vegetables [here]. We’re already starting to have fresh fruits and vegetables available.”
A donated expresso machine helped Cup of Hope get off the ground by offering the specialty coffee drinks many can find elsewhere. There is no Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea or Starbucks in the northwest quadrant of Roanoke City, in large part because the demographics have not shown that it would be financially feasible.
“Especially this past month it seems like we’ve had an ‘explosion’ of community,” said Lewis. “We’re [also] going to be working on something special for the community on November 11th, on 11th Street. It’s really going to be great,” she promises. You will have to wait for more details on that event – another reason to keep checking the Hope Center Facebook page.
By Gene Marrano
