In 2014-15, we collected basic hygiene supplies for homeless veterans which we donated to what was then the VA’s Homeless Veterans Outreach Center in Rock Island. That was a satisfying ministry, but following the second such collection we caught a vision for an expanded ministry to the local homeless veteran population.

Consultations with the Outreach Center identified a need for essential household supplies - cleaners, paper- and laundry products, a broom, rags, etc - for veterans who were transitioning out of homelessness and into housing of their own with the help of VA housing subsidies. In response, we birthed the ministry now called "Helmets of Hope," in which we provide essential household supplies to said veterans through partner agencies,  currently, the VA's Community Resources and Referral Center(CRRC) and the Veterans Accessing Long-Term Opportunities and Resources program (VALOR) of the Humility of Mary Shelter, both located in Davenport, as well as the Salvation Army out of Peoria and Galesburg, and the Elks Lodge #298 in Davenport. We held the first Helmets fundraisers in August 2015, then delivered around 100 "move-in kits" - all of the supply items we provide - in December of that year. 

Since those first steps, Helmets of Hope has expanded to serve veterans in a wide area in Illinois and Iowa. For a time, our service area reached to the Illinois-Indiana border. 

As of September 2022, we've made more than 130 supply deliveries to our partners, providing more than 25,000 supply items to as many as 800, if not more, veterans. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we averaged about two deliveries - nearly 400 items total - per month. 

Here are some images of Helmets of Hope in action:

On September 27, 2022, we delivered the 25,000th item in the nearly seven year history of Helmets of Hope: to the VA's Community Resources and Referral Center (CRRC), on Perry St. in downtown Davenport. Praise God! 

It was fitting that the 25Kth item went to CRRC given that through the years, Helmets has made more deliveries (59), providing more items (11,763) to CRRC than any of our other partners. 

We praise God and express our thanks to ALL of our partners who since December 2015 have welcomed the essential household supplies (cleaners, paper products, etc) and, in the last eighteen months, food items we offered as contributions to their great work with veterans.

The COVID pandemic dramatically affected our partners', and hence our own, ability to serve vets. Please join our prayers for our partners and for every group or agency in every part of the country that works on behalf of those who served us all.

[NOTE: Pictured in the photo that accompanies this article is Jessica Mohr, one of our contacts at CRRC, as she welcomed the delivery that included the 25,000th item.]

Every year... or year-and-a-half in this case Alternate Grinning Face... we publish a report that chronicles recent activity in our essential household ministry to veterans called Helmets of Hope. After considerable delay, we make available to you our latest report. 

We hope you'll discover something about the ministry and in the process consider encouraging our efforts with your financial support. Details on ways to donate to our cause can be found on the last page of the report, the document in PDF format you can download by clicking the graphic to the left of this introduction.

Help us put essential household supplies in the hands of veterans who escape various forms of housing crisis (e.g. homelessness; living out of their vehicles, or with friends or family; living in a shelter) AND explore a variety of handmade  craft items designed and created by members of our Helmets of Hope ministry team.

This sale is not open to vendors (sorry!) but it IS open to shoppers (and that means you!) All proceeds from the sale will support our work with veterans. All craft items purchased will decorate the homes and lives of those who purchase them. 

Weather permitting, we plan to hold the sale outside, on the east side of our church building. Enter off of 7th St and drive toward the building. You won't miss the sale on your left.

Hope to see you there!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 14

8:00-4:00 P.M.

First Christian Church of East Moline

3501 7th St.

We are pleased and excited to announce the arrival of the 2020 year-end report for our signature ministry, Helmets of Hope, which provides essential household supplies and food boxes to veterans dealing with or escaping various forms of housing crisis.

Click the image at the left of this announcement to download the report, or find it on our Downloads page by clicking THIS LINK.

This is a critical year in the five-plus year history of our ministry to veterans. We won't be able to hold the number of in-person fundraising events we've held in recent years, which adds urgency to our invitation to the public to make financial donations. We invite you to review the report to discover the difference Helmets of Hope makes and how you can help us grow the ministry in 2021.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been a long, difficult, challenging year for our community, nation, world, AND congregation, including our signature ministry, "Helmets of Hope." HOWEVER, there's light at the end of the proverbial tunnel!

We're currently in touch with our partner agencies, asking about their expected need for supplies - both household and food - in the coming months. To-date, one agency has responded with a substantial list of items, mostly in case-lot quantities that we'll soon be able to deliver because we recently placed one of our largest supply orders ever with our principal supplier, a shipment of nearly 1,900 items that we expect to receive by the end of this month.

While we've made deliveries since COVID arrived, our activity level has been greatly reduced (down 60% in 2020 compared to 2019). But there are signs that we're moving back toward a time of active support for veterans. Please pray for our ministry, and consider donating financially to support our efforts to provide essential supplies, including a welcoming food box, to vets escaping housing crisis.

After months of planning and fundraising, we made our first-ever household supply delivery on Saturday, December 5, 2015, to the VALOR program of the Humility of Mary Shelter in Davenport. That day several team members drove to the west end of the city to meet Cathy Jordan, then the VALOR program lead, and witness our provision of 200 essential supply for veterans who moved off the streets and into housing of their own with the help of VA housing grants. 

Little did we know or would we have predicted that four years later we would have recently made our 90th such delivery - to one of four partner agencies or groups - that raised to more than 19,150 the total number of items we have provided to vets through Helmets of Hope.

We praise God for the last four years and for the doors that God opened to lead us to a ministry more satisfying than our prayers ever imagined.

Our first-ever quarter auction, held November 15, produced a final result of $2,637.75, FAR beyond our wildest dreams when we first decided to create one as part of the fundraising efforts of our Helmets of Hope ministry to veterans. That total includes money we raised selling pop and water, and also what we raised selling items created by the talented crafters of our Helmets ministry team.

Thanks to everyone who attended the event (we hope you won!) worked the event (we hope you've recovered!) and prayed for the event (we hope you won't stop praying for Helmets of Hope!)

Find out all you need to know about the next fundraiser for our ministry that provides essential household supplies to veterans moving off the streets and into housing of their own with VA support by clicking THIS LINK.

"Move-in kits" are the 20-item household supply collections our Helmets of Hope ministry provides - through our partner agencies - to veterans as they move off the streets and into housing of their own. The kits contain one of every cleaner, accessory, and paper- and laundry product we offer.

At the end of 2018, we praised God that we set an annual record by delivering 101 of the kits to our partners. Imagine our praise to God now that in the month of November we delivered the 125th move-in kit of 2019! We broke the full-year record in August, and continue to grow it in November! Watch this space for updates on the record's status.

Helmets of Hope makes a difference in the lives of veterans who are rebuilding their lives. Scroll to the bottom of this page to learn how you can help us make the difference.

On June 25, our Helmets of Hope ministry household supply ministry to veterans was the subject of an eight minute segment on Channel 4's "Living Local" broadcast, which highlights QC-area events, groups, and activities. We can't say much for the spokesperson we sent to represent us, but on the upside, every chance we get to deliver the Helmets story to the community is an opportunity to invite others to help us help vets.

If you didn't see the show, or want to see our segment again, CLICK HERE to view the YouTube video WHBF created and sent to us.

NOTE: And as an additional blessing today, it turned out that Ashlie Ledbetter, one of Noelle and Jim's daughters, appeared on the same "Living Local" broadcast, in support of Planet Fitness's current promotion that gives teens free entry to their fitness centers for the rest of the summer. If you want to watch Ashlie perform as she showcases various exercises, CLICK HERE to view her segment (she first appears at about the 4:00 mark in the video).