“He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” - Luke 4 : 18
Community Projects
It is so exciting what God is doing in and for our community. He has set a fresh vision for us as a church and we are more expectant than ever to see people impacted as we look to launch and relaunch our Community Projects. Some of our Community Programmes include:
Hope Hampers Foodbank
We have partnered with S6 Foodbank to set up our own Foodbank, which is based in The Hope Centre and run alongside our Community Grocery. This is a means tested service which aims to help those in need across our city.Polka Dots Playgroup
Our playgroups are there to provide a space for children and the families of our local community to come together to feel happy, confident and secure. Every playgroup session is filled with arts and crafts, story and song time and a huge range of toys and games for all the children to get involved with.Jigsaw
This is our coffee afternoon for over 55s, which happens twice each week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They come together, to do activities, encourage new skills, build relationships and help you know that you are loved and valued. This is all done within our Foundation Cafe, over a cup of tea and slice of cake!Foundation Café
Our warm and welcoming atmosphere makes this the ideal place for all ages to come and relax and take time out. Our heart for the café is that it is accessible and inclusive for everyone, so we have adopted a 'pay as you wish' approach. All donations made towards our drinks and cake are poured back into the café and the community work we do at the Foundation.Little Ark Nursery
Since opening in 2003, Sheffield based childcare provider Little Ark Nursery has been at the heart of the city – providing high quality early years education and childcare for children aged 12 weeks to 5 years.Click here to find out more.
The Community Grocery
An initiative created by The Message Trust in September 2020 as a long-term response to tackling food poverty, a devastating issue that has become a national conversation thanks to campaigning from high profile people like Marcus Rashford.
We know that many households in our local community have been feeling the financial impact of Covid-19, and the increase of living costs in general and so The Message Trust has partnered with the Foundation to bring the Community Grocery to Sheffield! It is located here in The Hope Centre so local residents, on either low or no income, can come and get the shopping they need for themselves and their family at a fraction of the cost they would pay elsewhere (only £3 per shop which could get you up to £50 worth of food). Using surplus items from supermarkets as well as donations from businesses we are also helping to reduce food waste. Not only this, but all our members have access to a range of free support services such as job clubs, debt relief support, counselling, Alpha and much more.
In its first 12 months since opening we have seen over 1200 households become members, with many of them also being involved in our Jigsaw and Alpha courses. We're so excited to see what the next year looks like for our Grocery and to see the many lives God is going to impact through it. To find out more about how to become a member, how to volunteer or donate, click the link below.
