PROJECT HOPE

Hope is one of our Holy Cross core values. We hope for a world where justice and love prevail.

Project HOPE, which stands for Hoban's Outreach for Peace and Equality, was launched in the fall of 2008. This ministry continues to enable students, Holy Cross educators and volunteers to share food and fellowship with members of the Akron community who are experiencing homelessness or other hardships. 

An estimated 5,000 Hoban community members have worked together, volunteering their time, donating food and offering monetary donations to serve between 75–90 meals each week.  

Every Wednesday, after school and throughout the summer months, students and volunteers meet in the cafeteria kitchen to prepare a meal and depart by school van to visit people in largely unseen corners of the Akron community. Students spend most of their time engaging in conversations, making friends and serving food to those they meet.

Project HOPE was about far more than just helping those in need. We had the opportunity to get out of our comfort zones and truly get to know those we served. We learned about their families, their challenges, their dreams—and just how much we had in common with them. As a journalist, my goal with every story is to do just that: Take readers to meet someone whose life, on the surface, may seem very removed from their own and show them how in reality, we are all more similar than we are different. 

—Jessica Contera ’10, The Washington Post reporter

Project HOPE is moderated by Mr. Chris Fahey, with the help of Mr. James Mulholland and Kelsey Sees.

A Place to Exist was written, filmed and directed by Hoban alumni while enrolled at Hoban.

SUPPORT PROJECT HOPE

It is estimated that approximately $100-$150 is needed each week to pay for food and other necessities to support this ministry. We rely heavily on the generosity of others for monetary and food donations. 

The ultimate goal is to endow this program. If you would like to learn how to become a donor of Project HOPE, contact the Office of Advancement

MAKE YOUR COFFEE RUN MATTER

Skip the coffee chains and get your coffee at a local cafe making a real difference in our community. These three coffee houses support people struggling with housing and food insecurity. 

 

porch light coffee
798 Grant St, Akron, OH 44311
Compass Akron
647 E. Market St, Akron, OH 44304
located in the rear of the building
cups cafe
126 N. Court St. Medina, OH 44256