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TOP TEN things you can do TODAY (Giving Tuesday) to give back

24 November

Today is Giving Tuesday, and in the spirit of giving, we came up with a TOP TEN list of ways to give back through Hosanna Industries. These are simple things you can do right now.

 

 

  1. Say a prayer or two! Pray for the people crying out, “Hosanna, rescue me now, Lord!”
  2. Donate online or mail a check.
  3. Like us on Facebook, share our pages with your friends, or rate us on Facebook.
  4. Write a review about your experience with us on Network for Good, which will help us to receive more support.
  5. Register for our metal-working class to make a handmade Christmas gift.
  6. Sign up to deliver Christmas gifts to a household that we’ve helped this year.
  7. Start collecting spare change. Every penny, nickel, dime, quarter, dollar, etc. makes a difference!
  8. Sign up (at the bottom of our website) for our e-blast to stay in the loop about our work.
  9. Shop like you normally would at Amazon.com (or Amazon Prime) but use Smile.Amazon.com instead, & .5% of every purchase will benefit the mission, with no extra charge to you.
  10. While you’re out running errands, grab something extra. Here’s our wish list: 

Thanks for your support & Merry Christmas!

First Day of Spring Break

21 April

It was our first day of SPRING BREAK. I had thoughts of sleeping in and being lazy.

But I was asked to help Hosanna Industries.  Callie and I were happy to get up bright and early, 9am to about 2:30pm.  In that short time, a ramp was built, a sidewalk laid, a roof replaced, some light landscaping and fellowship and prayer happened.

Volunteering with this organization gives you an opportunity to work hard.  BUT it also gives you an opportunity to see LOVE at WORK! Every person in the group belongs.  There is work for everyone to do.  Helping place shingles on a roof, raking up leaves, building a wheelchair ramp, visiting with clients, placing paving stones or simply picking up after the work is done–everyone belongs. The best part of volunteering with Hosanna however, is getting to know people and loving strangers–hugging someone you didn’t know before, listening to stories of life, laughing with a new friend, witnessing tears of thankfulness…

Christan & Callie (age 7), volunteering with Hosanna Industries on Maundy Thursday, 2017

The folks at Hosanna WORK HARD, but they LOVE even HARDER! And during this Holy Week, I wouldn’t have wanted to be any place else.  It is important to me to raise my daughter to know this kind of love.  I want to help her understand how God loves her, and the work Hosanna does mirrors how HE has called us to love.  You can see WHY they work so hard! HE is the reason! And the love is so true and genuine.

Thank you folks for being such living sacrifices! Happy Easter!

-Christan Baker, Volunteer

How to keep your 2016 New Year’s Resolutions

18 January

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution in 2016? There’s still hope– maybe we can help you keep it!

  • Volunteer more/ as a family/ regularly

If you resolved to volunteer, whether it be by yourself, with your family, or more regularly, we can help you with that! Join us anytime– we don’t have age limits or skill requirements. We work five days a week, usually Monday through Friday, but we occasionally work Saturdays. We provide all of the tools and instruction, and most of our work is construction-related. Contact Emily to set up a time to come out. We’ll likely have you meet us at the job. We work all over the region, and choose the job for the day based on things like weather, number of volunteers, and client circumstances. Emily will schedule you, and then a few days before, she will let you know when and where to meet us. We look forward to working with you! (For more information about volunteering, check out this page.)

  • Learn something new/ develop a hobby/ finish projects

We have a brand new campus that is all about growth and learning. Hosanna Gibsonia will have classes where you can learn a new art like painting, develop a hobby like crocheting, or even finish (and start) a craft project in one of our Pinterest workshops. We are looking forward to being a tool that you use to sharpen your skills and broaden your horizons. Eventually, the programs at this campus will support our charitable work. We hope to see you at a workshop soon! (For more information about these programs, check out this page.)

  • Give back to the community/ donate more/ tithe

Ever heard the phrase, “It is in giving that we receive,” or “You can’t take it with you”? Whatever your quote preference and whatever your reasoning, if you intend to give back this year, we can help. There are several ways that you can give to our mission, whether it be financially, or through in-kind gifts. You can set up automated giving once a month through your credit card or bank account. Our client households have an average annual income of less than $20,000, and we strive to help 130 of these clients with essential home repairs at no cost to them. We depend solely on donations, and gifts to our mission are tax-deductible. (For more information about giving to Hosanna Industries, check out this page, or contact us.)

  • Get in shape/ stay active/ be healthier

This is a common resolution, and one that we can definitely help with! Sometimes it helps to make a goal, so rather than just working out more often to get in shape and be healthy, it might help to have a goal, such as “This year I’m going to run or walk a 5k,” or even “This year I’m going to run a half-marathon”. We have a 5k fun run/ walk in April, and we are a participating charity for the Pittsburgh Marathon in May. Pick your poison, and join us for either one or both! “A Miracle Every Mile!” (For more information about our 5k, check out this page, and for more information about how to participate in a marathon event, check out this page.)

Hammers, Hearts, and Hands: Value of a Volunteer

19 June

Hammers, Hearts, and Hands: Value of a Volunteer

I get asked a lot of questions daily. Some are easy to answer, some a little more difficult. Each for different reasons I suppose. The hardest-to-answer questions are the ones that ignite my imagination. I love thinking. I could sit around and think all day. I’ve often dreamed of working in a factory where I would do the same thing all day long, that way I could imagine all day long.

I was recently asked, “What is a volunteer worth?”. I didn’t have an answer. I told them I’d have to think about it. I went home that evening and got on the horn to our bookkeeper, Julie. She’s an absolute magician with numbers. She gave me the figure for the dollar worth of a volunteer and I had a few other mathematical questions for her. She kindly assisted as she always does. Thank you Julie for being a great friend and bookkeeper. I got off of the phone with her and continued to do some thinking and researching and a little bit of imagining. I figured that with the dollar amount a volunteer is worth x the 150,000 volunteers I’ve been privileged to work with over the years x the number of work hours in a day, that volunteers are worth $27,060,000. That of course is simply a dollar amount. My brain likes to work with other things as well, so, to the person with the original question, and anyone else who might be interested, here is my answer to “what is a volunteer worth?”
9,020,000 2×4’s
4,163,076 sheets of drywall
2,706,000 buckets of drywall mud
2,706,000 sheets of OSB
902,000 boxes of siding
386,571 square of shingles
108,240 windows
9,020 warm homes

Over the years these miracle worker volunteers have swung a hammer over one million times.
From them I’ve heard at least 135,000 minutes of laughter.
And they have seen at least one tear from a home owner who was overwhelmed by their love, generosity and their 180,400 hammers, 150,000 hearts, and 300,000 hands.

I hope you found this answer helpful to your question. I sure find you helpful.

–Emily Cadenhead, Mission Worker

Senior Project Ideas to Help Hosanna Industries

02 February

Senior Project Ideas to Help Hosanna Industries

This is not an exclusive list, but we often get requests from students wanting to do a senior project for Hosanna and wanted to give you some ideas. Please contact us at the office if you have any questions.

  • put on a fundraiser or special event to raise money and support for Hosanna Industries and the work that we do
  • help with the Harvest Project canning and taking care of the garden
  • start a collection at your school or church for first aid supplies, spare change, canning jars, or small construction supplies like fasteners
  • create a YouTube video or a series of blog posts about your experience with Hosanna and why you’d recommend working with us
  • come out to campus and help us take care of the buildings by cleaning and pulling weeds
  • volunteer with us on a project to help a needy homeowner
  • help with a special event by collecting auction items from local businesses or putting a basket together
  • volunteer at one of our events to score the trap shoot or decorate a christmas tree
  • help to provide a meal for a saturday volunteer group

Churches: Let’s help each other out

12 November

Churches: Let’s help each other out!

Ways that we can help you:

  • Facilities: We have spaces for elder retreats or business meetings.
  • Volunteer Opportunities: We’ll provide a meaningful experience for all ages & skill levels.
  • Church programs or services: We’d be happy to share a minute for mission, present a program about Hosanna, answer questions at a mission committee meeting, or fill-in preach.
  • Mission trip training: We’ll teach you skills & techniques specific to your upcoming construction mission trip, so you are more prepared when you get there.
  • Home repair training: We’ll teach you important things about maintaining a home at our Love Your Home Seminars.
  • Preaching clinic: We’ll help the pastor recharge their preaching or teach a layperson to preach.

Ways that you can help us:

  • Spread the word to your church family about who we are & what we do
  • Donate regularly as part of your mission budget or hold a special collection
  • Volunteer your time or talent on a construction project, the Harvest canning project, or teaching the trade skill learning center
  • Pray for us as we share Christ’s love with our needy neighbors
  • Pray for the clients that we haven’t gotten to yet
  • Participate in special events: golf outing, trap shoot, festival of trees, pie sale, gift delivery, etc.
  • Host a fundraiser (bake sale, car wash, play, concert, etc.) to benefit Hosanna
  • Provide lunch for a volunteer group
  • Hold a collection for items that we need (canning jars, first aid supplies, etc.)

Contact me if you’d like to get your church involved with Hosanna. I’d love to give you a tour of the mission and talk about specific ways that we can help each other in ministry!

-Amanda Becker, Mission Worker

Hosanna Harvest 2013 Recap

08 October

If you would have asked me if I would be canning at Hosanna five years ago I probably would have laughed at you for such a funny thought. But now only after two years of this new program at the mission, I can’t imagine not doing it!

Now as the program grows with the addition of the Hosanna garden, I hope to incorporate more local volunteers to help tent the garden as well as can the produce with us. I thoroughly enjoy sharing and teaching the skill of canning with those who want to learn and enjoy!

When asked my favorite canned good this year I would have to say both the green pepper relish and the peach/jalapeño chutney. They’re my favorite because we did not follow a recipe for either of them! When it comes to canning I have always been a recipe follower and after a few very successful experiments last year, I enjoy making new creations and experimenting with different spices.

After two years of running this program we have become aware of kitchen needs we did not have before. I would love to see us acquire:

  • a new water bath canner
  • some nice long wooden spoons
  • a big food processor
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • knives
  • colanders.

I would also like to have more supply donations including:

  • jars (pint and half pint)
  • lids and rings
  • cider vinegar
  • olive oil
  • sugar
  • salt
  • spices ( ginger, ground cloves, oregano,basil, paprika, minced garlic, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, tarragon, cinnamon).

I’d like to thank those who donated jars this year and last year and I want to thank those who donated produce including Tom and Becky at Quality Gardens, Mary Ann and Tom at Brenkles Greenhouse and Giant Eagle on Rt. 8. We could not have produced any of the good things this year without them,!

Becky Hetzer, Mission Worker