Spotlight: Hands of Hope
Spotlight: Hands of Hope
Expertise
▪ Due dilligence
Challenge:
Hands of Hope in Joliet, Illinois, provides warehousing, logistics and trucking services for food banks across the Midwest. The organization works directly with food suppliers that might have a surplus of product, or a major donation, and will need to warehouse the food and have it distributed to food banks, churches, and charities. Hands of Hope facilitates the B2B side of food bank services. It also operates a small grocery store and pantry co-located with the shipping warehouse.
Since the pandemic began, the demand for food pantries and help for others has increased dramatically, making it so Hands of Hope needs more space in its warehouse and more efficient logistics to move food across the Midwest. Additionally, the organization is so overwhelmed by fulfilling needs that it does not have the time or resources to find a new location. So, the organization called on Imperien for help.
Solution:
Imperien works with Hands of Hope in a number of ways, including identifying new sites and finding innovative solutions to use in its current facility. Imperien is cognizant of the unique set of needs of the organization: It must have refrigeration and appropriate food storage measures in place, a large warehouse, and the facility must aid in logistics efforts to move goods more efficiently. Imperien also helps Hands of Hope navigate its budget. Noting that Hands of Hope is a nonprofit, Imperien is mindful to work within a tight budget while helping the organization reach its goal to expand.
Imperien identified several buildings that fit Hands of Hope’s goals for expansion and it continues to assist the organization in navigating an expensive real estate market. Design solutions within their current structure were also identified.
“We value our partnership with Hands of Hope. It’s a charitable mission we can get behind, and we want to help them expand operations so they can reach more people. The need will always be there. Hands of Hope is innovative and solution-driven, and it’s our goal to assist them in meeting the needs of so many people.”
Outcome:
The organization is still exploring options, with hopes of expanding in its current facility or a new one while continuing to operate. Imperien has provided the organization the due diligence and resources it needs to make an informed decision to grow as a nonprofit.