House of Hope Receives Three Community Impact Grants from Martin County United Way
STUART, Fla. – Martin County residents working to overcome hunger and hardship just got a huge helping hand from three United Way of Martin County Community Impact Grants awarded to House of Hope.
The United Way has been supporting the House of Hope mission for more than three decades. The 2025 grant awards, totaling $119,250, will support House of Hope’s Client Choice Pantries, Project HOPE (Helping Others Progress through Empowerment), and the Centers for Enrichment.
“We’re grateful for the ongoing investment of the United Way of Martin County and their confidence in our efforts to strengthen the safety net for our clients,” said House of Hope CEO Rob Ranieri. “Thanks to tremendous community support like these United Way grants, House of Hope has become very innovative in how we produce and distribute fresh food, educate our clients, and help them make connections to break their cycle of poverty.”
Food insecurity remains the reason that over 70% of clients seek assistance from House of Hope. The agency operates four Client Choice Pantries throughout Martin County--in Indiantown, Hobe Sound, Stuart, and Jensen Beach--where people can receive food assistance. To meet the need throughout our community, this grant supports the annual distribution of almost 1.2 million pounds of food through House of Hope’s pantries and nonprofit food bank partners who operate soup kitchens, shelters, smaller church pantries and other programs through Martin County. The distributed food includes donated items, fresh produce from House of Hope’s Growing Hope Farm, and nutritionally balanced meals from House of Hope’s Elisabeth Lahti Nutrition Center.
Project HOPE (Helping Others Progress through Empowerment) seeks to move individuals and families past a crisis situation, stabilize the household, and work with clients to develop a plan toward economic self-sufficiency. Project HOPE assists qualified Martin County residents with rent/mortgage, utilities, prescriptions, medical co-pays, and other household or transportation expenses. Family Centered Coaching strategies are used to help clients be their best advocate along this path to financial stability.
The Centers for Enrichment are hubs of activity in Stuart, Jensen Beach, and Indiantown. The Centers provide self-improvement classes focusing on health and wellness, nutrition education, English literacy, and school and job preparedness to help participants overcome common obstacles to financial stability. As an additional resource, House of Hope’s Workforce Coordinator offers one-on-one job coaching to help clients search for, apply for, and secure living wage employment.
All programs and services of House of Hope are provided at no cost to the individuals, families, or partners served by the organization.
“Our community continues to feel economic stress and food insecurity,” Ranieri says. “Every month we reach a new milestone in the number of people we serve, the meals we provide, and the financial assistance we distribute. The annual United Way Community Impact Grants make a tremendous difference to our own organization, to other nonprofits in our community, and to all of the people we serve. They help us deliver real, measurable impact, and we’re proud to partner with them for a better future for all of Martin County.”
About House of Hope
Founded in 1984, House of Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers community residents to overcome hunger and hardship. House of Hope touches the lives of more than 31,000 people each month, helping with basic needs such as food, clothing, furniture, and financial assistance, case management services that help build life skills for a more self-sufficient future, and nutrition education programming that supports a foundation of healthy choices throughout the community.
The organization has service centers in Stuart, Hobe Sound, Indiantown, and Jensen Beach, with thrift stores in Stuart, Hobe Sound, and Indiantown. House of Hope’s Centers for Enrichment at Golden Gate in Stuart, in Jensen Beach, and at KinDoo Family Center in Indiantown offer free programs, technology, and workshops designed to enhance life skills, earning potential, health, and overall well-being.
House of Hope also operates the Growing Hope Farm in Palm City and several nutrition gardens that provide sustainable sources of fresh produce for clients as well as nutrition education and vocational opportunities to the community. For more information, visit hohmartin.org or call 772-286-4673. Updates and announcements can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, and X.