Sikeston is full of organizations willing to help those in need. One such organization is Spread Hope Now.

“We are not funded, we are not state funded,” said Mari Ann Moyers, director of Spread Hope Now. “We are faith based and faith funded. It doesn’t mean if you are not Christian or follow religion that we don’t help you. Those are not questions that we ask.”

Starting about eight years ago as a volunteer organization, Spread Hope Now quickly spread. It began in a very small corner in the building that now houses Personal Expressions. There they collected furniture for people who were transitioning out of homelessness.

From there, they moved to a 7,400 square foot space in the DeWitt building. The building was donated by DeWitt and the organization pays for only their utilities and insurance.

In December, Moyers said they were able to purchase their first building – the old Plaza Tire building.

“They sold us their building that was valued at $800,000 and sold it to us for $50,000 and let us pay it out over a while,” Moyers said. “We began to see people come in and donate their time and their paint, their flooring and their expertise and transform that place to where people can come in and receive help.”

And Spread Hope Now is all about helping those in need.

“What we do is take in items by donation and give those items out at no cost,” Moyers said.

A volunteer team will come in on Saturday and deliver items to homes in need. Everything from towels to forks to couches to beds. Whatever the organization takes in goes right back out to those in need.

No one is allowed to shop in the facility and no volunteer is allowed to take anything from the facility. It is for impoverished people only.

Moyers said recently a woman was sleeping on the floor with her three children. They didn’t even have blankets. But volunteers were able to gather what the family needed and took it to their home.

“They put her beds together and put her things in her kitchen and left her with dignity and place for her kids to strive,” Moyers said.

Moyers said Sikeston has plenty of great network organizations, such as DAEOC, Bootheel Counseling Services and Gibson Recovery Center.

“There are so many great organizations, and we don’t want to replicate that,” Moyers said. “We don’t believe we can do that better, but we think there is a gap. We just believe that if someone has some dignity and someone to listen to and a support network that the chances of them moving forward and being successful, is better.

Spread Hope Now has continued to grow in more than just building space, now offering more services as well.

The site in the DeWitt Building also now houses a Warming Center and is open in the evenings through the night when the temperature is under 32 degrees.

Those who go to the Warming Center are given a bed, place to shower and wash their clothes and a warm dinner and breakfast.

“Our goal is for people not to freeze to death,” Moyers said. “We sit and listen. I have been deeply affected by what I thought homelessness was. There are so many reasons why people are homeless. I would say most people are either suffering from addiction problems or they’re a victim of circumstance.”

Three years ago, Spread Hope Now also started Mission 100, where 100 pre-qualified, specific families that are struggling with illness or are underemployed and trying to make it are helped.

“They need to pay their rent so they’re not homeless, so we provide cleaning products, toiletries and paper products every month,” Moyers said. “Those things are not covered by food stamps.”

The organization also just held an open house for Hope 180 at its location at 1041 E. Malone.

“It’s a little bit of a different direction for us,” Moyers said. “We want to be a safe haven for at-risk teens and help teens who are at-risk, so they don’t end up being in a place of homelessness.”

Moyers said anyone can volunteer for Spread Hope Now and anyone can donate to the organization.

“We all come to a point when we need help and we all come to a point where we can offer help,” Moyers said. “If you have extra shoes or if you have extra towels. Those are extra things that will mean the world to these people.”

For more information on Spread Hope Now, visit www.spreadhopenow.org  (March 9, 2023)