Vista, CA – Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Operation HOPE-North County (Homeless Shelter), a non-profit organization that serves families with children and single women who are experiencing homelessness, is hosting a Ribbon Cutting Event on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 10 a.m. at Operation HOPE-North County Pantry & Boutique, 840 Townsite Dr, Vista Ca, 92084.
Above operating our 12-bedroom and 45-bed shelter on E. Vista Way, Operation HOPE – North County opened our food pantry before the start and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to serve our graduate families from the shelter who had successfully obtained housing, but were still experiencing food insecurity. Our boutique was established to serve our families at the shelter. Since then, our pantry has grown in service by providing assistance to over 100 families a week from our community that are experiencing food insecurity. This is part of our efforts to help prevent homelessness in our community, which is a major need in our region.
Both the Food Pantry and Boutique operated as medical offices before Operation HOPE-North County moved into those office suites. For the past several months, OHNC has been working on renovating those spaces to exemplify hope and dignity for the community members we are serving. OHNC recently just completed Leah’s Pantry 6-month Gold Star Certificate Program.
The Ribbon Cutting Event will acknowledge the Gold Star Certificate being awarded to OHNC from Leah’s Pantry and celebrate the renovated Food Pantry and Boutique with community partners, community leaders, and community members.
Operation HOPE-North County was founded in 2003 in response to a visible increase in the number of unsheltered families with children. It began as a cold-weather shelter and in 2016 transitioned to a year-round organization which has helped countless families with children and single women who are experiencing homelessness. Our Steps to Independence program provides safe shelter, case management, and supportive services to help build life skills leading to self-sufficiency and independence. The shelter serves over 160 individuals a year and approximately 60% of that population are youth.
