More than 100 kids at New Castle County’s HOPE Center will have presents under the Christmas tree thanks to a toy drive from TD Bank.
Once a Sheridan Suites Hotel, the HOPE Center was purchased by New Castle County two years ago as a way to transition the unhoused into permanent living spaces.
Currently, the center has around 250 residents, including more than 100 kids.
County Executive Matt Meyer said the holidays are not always happy for unhoused Delawareans.
“It’s a challenging time. It is not necessarily a joyful time. And what TD Bank has done, and the staff at the Hope Center and all of us at New Castle County government are trying to do, is make it a joyful time for as many people as possible. No matter your circumstance, no matter how rich or poor, no matter whether you have a permanent place to permanently call home or not,” Meyer said.
Hope Center Managing Director Lisa Oglesby said the center is looking forward to putting smiles on children’s faces.
“I think we have about 100 gifts coming. We have a party next week. At that time we’ll distribute the gifts to the participants here and their families.”
The center, which was once a Sheridan Suites, features more than 180 rooms, as well as both health and mental health services.
Currently the center is home to around 250 people.
To date, the center has helped 2,000 Delawareans transition into permanent housing.
