A hope and a prayer

Blessed Hope Foundation founder Evelyn McKoy relies on her faith and resolve to help less fortunate members of the community.  The organization provides food, clothing, blankets, heaters and furniture as well as financial assistance for rent or utility bills.

As founder of the Blessed Hope Foundation, Evelyn McKoy doesn’t just feed the homeless – she invites them over to sleep on her couch.

McKoy, 72, has opened her heart and her home to people from all walks of life, from former bank executives to convicts and the mentally ill. She’s also not one to shy away from pulling over to offer her assistance if she sees that someone’s car has broken down.

“I’m always looking on the side of the road to see if anyone is out there thumbin’,” she said.

What may seem like a death wish to some, McKoy explains as an unrelenting faith in God and a compulsion to do his work.

Before Blessed Hope, McKoy owned a convenience store in Newberry called “Nubby’s” and worked as an assistant manager at a Goodwill store in Gainesville. She said that she didn’t feel that she was able to reach people on the level that she wanted to in either of her previous positions.

“I never saw that one on one connection,” she said.

In 2000, McKoy started giving away food and clothing out of a watermelon shed on a piece of property that was lent to her by a friend.

Margaret Daub had only been in Newberry for about two months when she lost her job, her house and her car. To make matters worse, her husband was sent off to war and she found out that she was suffering from end stage renal failure. She had never asked a stranger for help before, but without another option, she took the locals’ advice and went to see “Ms. Evelyn.”

Daub said that McKoy didn’t just give her food, she gave her hope. She has since been able to get back on her feet and is now a volunteer in the pantry section at Blessed Hope.

McKoy, Daub and seven other volunteers hand out food to the community on the first and third Tuesday of every month. As the only organization of its kind in Newberry, Blessed Hope supplies the less fortunate members of the community with all of the supplies that they need to survive.

“We don’t have the base like Gainesville or some of the larger cities. When people are homeless here, there is nowhere to go,” Daub said.

In addition to food, Blessed hope gives away a number of other items including clothing, blankets, heaters and furniture. It also provides monetary assistance for those who need help paying rent or utility bills.

Over the years, Blessed Hope has expanded into one building and six storage sheds, all of which are located on the original property. Operating entirely on revenue from its thrift store and a combined total of $475 in donations from the City of Newberry, local churches and individual donors, Blessed Hope gave food to 759 people last month. In addition, it aided 200 more people with monetary assistance and other supplies. Daub said that the number of people coming to Blessed Hope for help has almost tripled in the past two years.

Mckoy was honored with a proclamation of appreciation by the City of Newberry on Sept. 27. Upon presenting her with the award, Mayor Harry Nichols called McKoy a “saint if there ever was one.”

“She must have the word sucker written across her head because every time someone tells her a sad story she falls for it,” he joked.

McKoy said that although she was grateful for the recognition, she felt guilty accepting the award because she the praise should go to God and the other volunteers.

“I just love people and I try to put myself in their position,” she said.