Our goal is to provide for the physical and spiritual nourishment of individuals and families at Our Lady of Hope during times of need.

Our first priority is to provide meals for needy parishioners of Our Lady of Hope. We also try to visit homebound parishioners and provide rides to the doctor. We welcome all volunteers interested in addressing these needs within our community.

How Do I Join?

Please call or email the Outreach Coordinator, Eloisa Casillas, at (703) 430-5687 or olohoutreach@yahoo.com with the following information:

• Name
• Address
• Phone
• Email address (if you have one)

How Do I Get a Meal Assignment?

The Outreach Coordinator will email or call you with a request for help. If you can cook (or visit a homebound parishioner or take someone to the doctor), please reply to her message. She will then email or call you with all specifics (e.g., delivery date and time, directions to recipient’s home, the family’s phone number, dietary restrictions, and the number of adults and children in the household).

How Often Will I Be Asked to Cook a Meal?

You may cook as often as you are able. If you get a request and the time isn’t convenient for you, there is no need to reply to the request. If you could manage cooking part of a meal (e.g., just an entrée), you might suggest to the coordinator that you could share cooking duties with someone else. We are hoping to only have to ask members to cook once every couple of months.

What Do I Do Once I Get the Assignment?

Get out your cookbooks! Most families will like the meal delivered hot and ready to eat at dinner time. If that is not convenient, you may contact the family and ask to drop the meal off earlier in the day. If there is a conflict regarding your assigned date, please contact the Outreach Coordinator before agreeing to another date. This will help prevent someone from getting two meals on the same date.

The Coordinator will give the meal schedule to all cooks assigned to a particular family. Please contact those who are cooking around the same time that you are. By doing so, we hope to avoid duplicate entrees.

What Should I Cook and How Should I Deliver the Meal?

The choice of menu is up to you (keeping in mind the recipients’ dietary restrictions). At a minimum, you should provide an entree and a vegetable or salad. If you would like, you are welcome to add bread, dessert, and/or beverages. We recommend using disposable pans for the meal. If this is not an option, please clearly label your pans with your name and phone number, and let the meal recipient know that he or she may leave the pans on the front porch for you to pick up at a mutually convenient time. Keep in mind that if you are unable to cook, you are welcome to pick up dinner from a nearby restaurant or peruse the frozen entrée aisle at the grocery store!

How Does Someone Sign Up to Become a Meal Recipient?

The Outreach Coordinator’s name and phone number are always published in the weekly parish bulletin. Remember, in times of need we’re only a phone call away.