Help Hana Mission to Build their School of Hope

Hana Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing assistance to the under-resourced members of Paterson, NJ.

History: From Donuts to Vital Community Resource

Hana Mission began when its founder, ordained reverend and licensed counselor Pastor Hank Kim, witnessed first-hand the challenges of those struggling at the fringes of society in Paterson back in the 1990s. He became acquainted with people who were homeless, suffering from substance addictions, previously or presently incarcerated, and, along with such individuals, their children. Pastor Hank began

volunteering at the Salvation Army as well as local churches in Paterson in various capacities to serve the community.

In short time, Pastor Hank established Hana Mission at Lou Costello Memorial Park in Paterson, where he provided donuts and coffee, counsel and companionship, to anyone who welcomed it.

Coffee and donuts at the park evolved into a mobile soup kitchen operating out of an old school bus. Eventually Hana Mission acquired a building at 10 Marshall Street, which enabled the organization to expand its services to include a permanent soup kitchen, a halfway house initiative, and a children’s summer camp and weekend / after-school program.

Present: Hana Mission Programs

The Hana Mission soup kitchen operates at capacity, serving daily breakfast to 50 individuals as well as Sunday dinner meals. The halfway house typically accommodates its maximum occupancy of 10 people at a time. Around 40 – 50 underprivileged and at-risk children attend the free summer program, and dozens come for the after-school and weekend program. It didn’t take long for Hana Mission’s volunteers to realize that many of these children needed everything from a proper pair of shoes, to an adult to tend to a neglected injury, just as much if not more than the homework help that was being offered.

To date, Hana Mission has been funded in part by private contributions, but principally through the revenue of its thrift stores which were established for the express purpose of financing the programs at 10 Marshall Street. Hana Mission collects donations of clothing, housewares, furniture, and other items which it then sells at its thrift stores. If you schedule a pickup for donations, Pastor Hank himself often arrives with a truck and a moving dolly. All proceeds are used for the benefit of the soup kitchen, halfway house, and children’s programs.

Future: Hana Mission Campus & School

Hana Mission now seeks to undertake its biggest and perhaps most ambitious project: the building of a K-5 grade school to nurture, teach, and address the specific issues faced by many of the Paterson youth. The mission of the school for its students is to be multi-fold: to impart a solid educational foundation; to fill in gaps that may exist beyond the academic sphere, such as emotional support, self-regulation skills, and communication fluency; and to offer children a safe space from dangerous temptations within the community while exposing them to healthy, positive alternatives.

Hana Mission humbly requests your support to complete Phase I of the Hana Mission Campus and School Project. Phase I comprises the development of plans for the design, and construction of the campus that will replace the existing structure at 10 Marshall. This will require the services of legal professionals including attorneys, structure, civil and MEP engineers and consultants.

Please consider a contribution towards this very worthy project. Your donation will be a seed that bears the best kind of fruit – fruit that nourishes the youth and future of a community, and feeds those who have been hungry in many ways. Join us in this crowd funding journey, as we build this school, phase by phase, block by block and hand in hand together.

https://www.hanamission.org/