NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Peninsula nonprofit's leaders and volunteers are working together for the common good.
"We're helping people so that they can help themselves, but in the end, they're [going to] help somebody else as well," said Teresa Lassiter, executive director of The Legacy of HOPE Foundation.
The nonprofit helps feed, clothe, educate, and inspire at-risk communities. "We want to motivate them not just to receive the things, but to touch them internally that will change their lives," Lassiter said.
The faith-based foundation hands out clothes and nonperishable food twice a week through their program Geraldine's Closet. The group also hosts community resource days.
"I didn't realize that I lived in poverty," Lassiter said. "That's what it's all about, is helping someone else to come out of what you've come out of."
The nonprofit also holds monthly workshops to empower youth and teach people life skills.
"Helping people with the computer, filling out an application, going through the interview skills -- allowing them to come to a place of self-sufficiency," Lassiter explained.
Last year, the nonprofit served nearly 200 families battling hunger and poverty. This year, she said the goal is to help 300 families.
"You're finding people that may have not needed assistance before that's now needing assistance, and we want to be able to help those people," Lassiter said.
The group's mission is to strengthen the fabric of their community by meeting people where they are and turning hope into action.
"When you allow people to smile, when you give them something that makes them smile, it builds a community," said Lassiter.
The Legacy of HOPE Foundation's soft opening of their new location at 239 Buxton Avenue in Newport News will be held August 12-13.
The nonprofit needs donations, partners, and volunteers. Visit their website to learn how you can support them.