Tag Archives: Helping Hands

Helping Hands – The Neighborhood Well

Community, Uncategorized,

Omolayo Adebayo recently launched a program in Maryland that provides showers for the homeless called The Neighborhood Well. When Adebayo is not practicing law as an attorney, she devotes her time and energy to this mission. It is the first non-profit organization of its kind that provides mobile showers to homeless individuals.

“I love encouraging people. My name means, ‘This child brings us joy,'” Adebayo said, smiling. “My parents have always instilled in me to give and give freely.” Joel Bassam from Easterns Automotive Group was touched by Adebayo’s selfless nature and wanted to help in any way he could.

“The Neighborhood Well is a truly amazing organization. The way that you all are providing resources to people experiencing homelessness for them to take the first steps to achieve self-sufficiency is an incredible way to help those individuals,” Bassam said. “We want to donate $2,000 so you can continue supporting those people and achieving the amazing work that you are doing in your community.”

It will help with the purchase of supplies, water disposal, maintenance, and other issues, Adebayo said. “I am overjoyed and always overwhelmed when people see the same vision that I see because it’s not easy to walk this journey,” Adebayo said.

Helping Hands – St. Stephens Baptist Church & Project Bright Future

Community, Uncategorized,

Every Tuesday, St. Stephens Baptist Church in Temple Hills has a massive food distribution for those in need in the community. “We’re excited about serving the community. We’ve got all kinds of food. We’ve got produce. We’ve got chicken. We’ve got pork chops, apples. We’ve got sweet potatoes, and we’re giving it all away until it’s gone. We do it every Tuesday consistently,” said Bishop Lanier Twyman, Sr., Senior Pastor at St. Stephens Baptist Church.

Driven by volunteers, they have about 60 volunteers every week to help distribute food but could use the help of others. Serving the community doesn’t stop with food distribution. About ten years ago, St. Stephens Baptist Church in Temple Hills, Maryland, started a mentor program called “Project Bright Future.” The program mentors young children and prepares them to be a better part of their community and pursue college degrees.

Their great deeds of service got the attention of our 7News Helping Hands campaign.

Joel Bassam joined virtually to share a special message for St. Stephens Baptist Church, “Hi there, I’m Joel Bassam from Easterns Automotive Group. We were blown away by what you guys are trying to do—feeding people and giving people clothes. Helping them in any way they need without anything in return is the best way to give. We want to help you continue to do that by donating $2,000, so you can continue to help those in the community. Thank you,”

Blown away by this donation, St. Stephens Baptist Church cheered in excitement! We are honored to be able to help such a fantastic cause.

Helping Hands: Operation Renewed Hope Foundation

Community, Uncategorized,

The Fairfax County non-profit, Operation Renewed Hope Foundation, is on a mission to end veteran homelessness by helping veterans get back on their feet, one home at a time.

Deborah Snyder is a former army helicopter pilot and the President of Operation Renewed Hope Foundation. She says the work to end veteran homelessness never stops, and giving back is in her blood. In this Helping Hands segment, she is renovating a four-bedroom home for a veteran family.

Snyder’s dedication to helping veterans led Easterns Automotive Group to make the non-profit a 7 News Helping Hands recipient. 7 News met with her inside the Alexandria home that she will be giving to the next veteran family on Veteran’s Day.

“What Operation Renewed Hope Foundation is doing, providing quality housing for the nation’s veterans who are experiencing homelessness, is incredible,” Bassam said. “We want to help you continue to break that cycle for those who have selflessly served this nation by donating $2,000 to your cause. Please continue doing the amazing work that you are doing and helping those who are in need.”

“Usually, it’s us giving the surprise to the veterans, but thank you so much to Easterns for the surprise. This is fantastic!” Snyder laughed.
Snyder.

Helping Hands: Aaliyah in Action

Community, Uncategorized,

A former Washington, D.C. teacher who delivered a stillborn baby last year is now on a journey herself to help others. Having lost her own child in December 2020, Elizabeth O’Donnell launched a nonprofit called Aaliyah in Action to assist mothers who have lost a child at birth. O’Donnell explained that she is now a stillbirth advocate full-time.

The organization partners with local hospitals to provide free self-care packages to families grieving. Most of the items in the box are items from local businesses or items created by families who have experienced loss. Supporting small businesses was also very important to O’Donnell as she gathered ideas for what to include in the boxes. Each box has a pair of fuzzy socks, lip balm, a face mask, and lavender shower steamers.

“They are not meant to make anybody feel better because that’s not possible,” O’Donnell said. “But it’s a gentle hug from someone who knows the pain.”

From Easterns Automotive Group, Joel Bassam learned about O’Donnell’s work in the community and decided to make her a 7News Helping Hands recipient.

“When Helping Hands brought us the story of the way you have turned this life experience of a way to help other individuals who are going through something so traumatic, we were blown away. We want to donate $2,000 to Aaliyah in Action to help support those individuals going through this terrible time, help them take the next steps in their lives with the boxes you are giving to them, and the bereavement support as well.”

Elizabeth was blown away and shared that this donation would help her reach more families and hospitals.

Helping Hands – Homes Not Borders

Community, Uncategorized,

Recently an empty Maryland apartment was transformed into a home for two women to start their new life in the U.S. If it weren’t for volunteers and Homes Not Borders, they would come home to an empty apartment. Homes Not Borders’ mission is to provide the refugee, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), and asylum-seeking population of the D.C. area with what they need to thrive and feel at home in the United States.

Laura Osuri, the groups executive director, said her home setups for those in need tripled as Afghan refugees entered the United States and continue to be in high demand.

Moved by the hard work Homes Not Borders has put into making sure the families are comfortable in their new homes, Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group joined with a special surprise.

“We were blown away by what you were able to achieve at Homes Not Borders, helping individuals and families when they need it most by helping them find homes and employment. It’s absolutely incredible,” said Joel Bassam with Easterns Automotive Group. “We wanted to donate $2,000 to your cause to help those most in need. Continue to do everything you are doing.”

Laura was overwhelmed by Eastern’s generous gift. “It’s wonderful,” she replied. “We are looking to hire more staff. We have a lot to do, so this can help with that.”

Helping Hands – Laptop Surprise for Rose Valley Elementary School Students

Community,

As children begin to make it back to school after a challenging year, we surprised Prince George’s County families with something special to help kick off their school year. With the help of Rose Valley Elementary School Principal Dr. Sharon Porter, Kidd O’Shea revealed the surprise live last Wednesday on 7 News. Ten students from Rose Valley Elementary received brand new laptops.

“Our theme is ‘Strive For 5.’ With that, we strive for five-star academics, five-star performance, five-star attendance, behavior, and character,” explained Rose Valley Elementary School Principal Dr. Sharon Porter. “So these students were part of that ‘Strive for 5’ third quarter last year. We’re really excited to have them for this big surprise.”

Joel Bassam, joined to share a special message, ‘We wanted to support Prince George’s County schools once again this year by donating 10 laptops to your students to use as they see fit. Continue doing the amazing work, and you’re going to have an amazing school year once again.”

We are always want to help others in our community. If you know a person or organization that deserves a “7News Helping Hand,” contact 7News, today!

Helping Hands – Fountain Community Enrichment

Community,

The pandemic has drastically changed lives leaving some searching for assistance, and a nonprofit in upper Marlboro, Maryland, has been supporting thousands since the beginning.

The Fountain Community Enrichment has been doing fantastic work to provide food for those in need for the past 16 weeks. As they continue to help within the community, they found a need for more than food. Their food pantry has a unique approach to support other areas of need, such as counseling to help deal with everyday life situations such as debt, job loss, divorce, and substance abuse. They also host a community health fair,

Jose Gonzalez had a special surprise for Pastor John. Jose pulled out a large check from Easterns for $2,000 just for the Fountain Enrichment Community. Joel Bassam even joined to share how amazed he and the Eastern team were by their hard work.

Helping Hands – Helen Zurita

Uncategorized,

The community has been overwhelmed with the work of a woman in the Manassas community. Helen Zurita has been a lifesaver for the East End mobile Home Trailer Park.

The trailer park would close four years ago, but Zurita assembled a team to make sure that did not happen. If the Manassas-based nonprofit, Catholics for Housing, had not rescued the property with 58 homes, many people would have been homeless.

Zurita shared that she has experienced homelessness and had to go without food before, and she did not want to see them go through what she once went through. Her work in the community goes far beyond saving homes. She also feeds, clothes, and prepares children for school. She also hosts back-to-school and toy drives for children in the community. On most Fridays, she gives away almost 300 to 400 boxes of food to those in need.

Inspired by the selfless acts of Helen, we had something special for her.

“Hey, I am Joel Bassam from Easterns Automotive,” Bassam explained to Zurita. “We were touched by the story 7News shared about you saving this community and feeding others without any consideration for yourself but only for others. We want to donate $2,000, so you can continue to help others.”

In shock, Zurita expressed how honored she was for this contribution. Zurita said the money would help her buy gas cards, provide backpacks for children, and start her free pantry.

Helping Hands – The Open Goal Project

Community,

The average youth soccer player’s yearly cost ranges between $1,500 and $5,000, and due to the lack of financial resources, many kids are left out of leagues and unable to play. The nonprofit Open Goal Project provides opportunities for underprivileged children in Washington, D.C., to play competitive soccer.

The program gives kids the chance to showcase their skills in a family-oriented environment. Gio Ceron, a member of the Open Goal Project, expressed, “If I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t have all these friends, and I wouldn’t know all of these skills the coaches taught me,”

Easterns Automotive Group was inspired by what they do for our community and wanted to give back. Joel Bassam from Easterns joined in surprising Amir Lowery, co-founder and Executive Director of Open Goal Project.

“We were blown away by what you’re doing to support your community and support the dreams of those who are trying to play soccer at the next level,” said Joel Bassam. “We want to support you guys by donating $2,000 to continue to spread the love and share these stories with other kids doing what they love most. Continue to do the amazing things you’re doing.”

Lowery and the Open Goal Project were grateful for this donation. They expressed, “It really means a lot. I really appreciate you guys. This will go a long way toward our mission and further leveling the playing field.”

Helping Hands – Be The Good Project

Community, Uncategorized,

Last year, the Marchand family from Northern Virginia started the Be the Good Project to feed people during the pandemic. In the process, they inspired a caring community, from friends and neighbors to church groups, sports teams, and girls scouts, to donate over 40,000 pounds of food and prepare over 63,000 sandwiches for the homeless.

Recently, they began building little food pantries in underserved communities, with nine already created and five more on the way. Amber Marchand and her family joined ABC 7 News for what they thought was an interview to update others on the Be Good Project, but there was really a surprise in store!

Finally able to return in person, Joel Bassam from Easterns joined in surprising the Marchand family, “We’ve been blown away by what you’ve been able to achieve and the way that you’ve been able to support these communities. We wanted to donate $2000 to you all so you can keep spreading the good and keep feeding these families.” 

Completely shocked by this donation, Amber Marchand was fighting back the tears as she expressed her gratitude. 

Click here for details on how you can support Be the Good Project.

Helping Hands, powered by ABC 7, is always looking to help people or organizations in need worthy of assistance. If you know someone that fits this description, please click here to nominate them.