ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — A Kentucky nonprofit will finally have the chance to celebrate helping people for half a century. Hardin County’s Helping Hand of Hope had to delay its 50th anniversary celebration for a year because of the pandemic, but on Friday evening the group will finally get to celebrate.
Helping Hand of Hope is hosting its “Breakthrough into 2022” fundraising event at First Christian Church in Elizabethtown on Friday at 6 p.m. EST.
Executive Director Hope Burke said her nonprofit had a humble start when the founder, Dotty Hanson, wanted to help people in need five decades ago.
“She started it out of the back of her car,” Burke said. “She would just hear about different people and want to help.”
Burke said the nonprofit has grown a lot during the pandemic, with more people needing food assistance.
Today, Helping Hand of Hope gives food boxes to over 300 people in Hardin County. During the pandemic, the ministry also opened the area’s first pet food pantry.
“A lady came and told us that her husband died and that she was literally sharing the last can of tuna with her dog,” Burke recalled of the moment she knew she needed to help people who couldn’t afford to keep their pets.
The nonprofit also provides beds for families that don’t have one for everyone in the home.
“We had noticed that there were hundreds of kids sleeping on the floor, couch surfing, just sleeping all over, sharing beds,” Burke said.
Burke says the nonprofit also helps with expenses like utility bills or prescription costs on a case-by-case basis. The group also helps families buy gifts at Christmastime.
“The biggest thing here is we’ve always wanted people to understand that it’s a hand up, and not a handout,” Burke said, explaining that she and her team emphasize treating everyone they help with respect and dignity.
At Friday’s celebration for the nonprofit, there will be a silent auction with items including a signed hockey puck from the Nashville Predators, a basketball signed by a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, Kentucky Derby Museum tickets, a one-week stay at a Florida time-share and baskets from local restaurants.
The event will also show the movie “Breakthrough.” After the showing, there will be a question-and-answer session with John Smith, whose true story the movie is about. His mother and pastor will also be there. Smith gained a lot of attention after being submerged in a frozen lake for 15 minutes and making a full recovery.
Tickets to the “Breakthrough into 2022” celebration can be purchased online for $5 a person.
The address for the event at First Christian Church is 1811 N. Miles St. in Elizabethtown.