Maranatha Christian Center in DeKalb is partnering this month with local non-profit Hope29 in an effort to get clothes to area children in need.

The church will be accepting clothing donations for kids of all ages and sizes until Sunday, January 19. You can drop off your gently used shoes and clothing at Maranatha anytime between now and the 19th. They will also accept new underwear and socks if you’d like to donate those instead.

Hope29 began in early 2023 with a vision to help as many kids as possible , by giving them clothing and shoes for school. They serve Bowie County and surrounding counties if needed. They are a non-profit 501c3 operating out of Simms with a mission to change the lives of kids by giving them the clothes that they need for school in an effort to clothe children with dignity and hope, regardless of their circumstances. They believe that kids should not have to worry if they have clothes to wear to school the next day.

Hope29 is a ministry that was put on the heart of founder Teala Fitzgerald. She and her husband Dustin Fitzgerald are members of Radiant Life Church and Teala says, “God put this on my heart. He put the desire in me.”

They started collecting clothes at church and in no time, God started blessing them. People started calling and needing clothes. The ministry quickly grew out of the couple’s dining room. A local couple then donated a 10×15 metal building, and then a mover donated getting the building to their home and setting it up.

Two months later someone else donated a cargo trailer for them to load up with clothes and shoes.

Hope29 now provides shoes, clothes, coats, backpacks and school supplies. Last year they gave out 100 backpacks filled with school supplies.

And, the whole process is confidential. No forms to fill out, no questions asked.

Teala says, “The thing that’s really important if someone tells me they need something-it is not our business to know why… our ministry is to provide what people need. We do all of it to love people and to ultimately show them the love of God, without beating them over the head with it.

Since they started in January of 2023, Hope29 has helped almost 300 children with new clothes, plus the 100 backpacks and also that many pairs of shoes.

Teala states that they have been able to minister to all of those people because of the care and generosity of the community. Donations have poured in. When clothes are donated, they go through them, make sure they are clean and not torn and ready for a child to wear them. Teala states, “If my kids won’t wear them, we don’t use them.

This is just the beginning for Hope29.

Teala says that the goal for 2025 is to help at least 365 kids. That would be an average of one per day.

The partnership with Maranatha came through a chance meeting at a Kiwanis meeting in Texarkana that ended with her speaking to Christa Chinchilla, who then got her together with Lane and Missy Breshears.

Lane says, “Christa Chinchilla, one of our NextGen pastors at Maranatha Christian Center, approached Missy and I with the idea putting together a clothing drive to help Hope29 with their mission to provide clothing to kids in need. MCC is big on outreach, and we are always excited to be able to help people and organizations that have a need. And what better way is there to serve Jesus than to minister to our children. What Hope29 is doing for the kids in our community is amazing, and we at MCC are glad we can be a small part of their mission.”

If you would like to help Hope29, there are multiple ways to do so. Now through the 19th you can drop donations at Maranatha Christian Center. You can also go to Hope29 directly by messag- ing them through their website of Facebook.

If you in need of clothes for your children, those same ways of connecting are there.

Once Teala gets a request, she will ask for sizes and ages, and whether there are special needs. She will then go to their available stock with that list, bag it all up, and arrange a meeting time to get the clothes delivered. She meets weekly at Hobby Lobby in Texarkana on Wednesdays, and for west end people she will arrange a meeting somewhere closer. There are absolutely no forms to fill out, no questions or requirements, and everything is confidential.

Teala says that people are often shocked at the ease of the process, and many are very emotional. She says, “This is our chance to share the gospel and invite people to church.”

In the future, Hope29 simply wants to help more people They want to do back to school events, more new shoes and make sure that even more kids have clothes. And, she says, not just one set of clothes, but multiple sets, plus shoes, underwear and socks.

Teala states that Hope29 also wants to one day have a bigger location and move their ministry beyond just kids. It is their hope that they can branch out into ministering to those coming out of prison with clothing, resources, job placement and finding housing, all to help them start their lives over.

If you have any questions, see Lane or Missy Beshears or email them at info@maranathadekalb. org.

To contact Hope29 directly go to their website at hope-29.org or see their Facebook page. You can email them directly at Futurehope29@yahoo.com