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Small and Mighty: Zellous Hope Project

Zellous Hope Project

The Zellous Hope Project received $15,000 Small and Mighty grants from The Pittsburgh Foundation in 2018 and 2019, and an $8,000 grant in 2016. Zellous Hope Project plans to continue providing resources to women transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing. Begun in 2011 as a program of Dress for Success Pittsburgh, this volunteer-run program packs essential household items such as dishes, cookware, towels, bedding and cleaning products into “Hope Chests.”

Additionally, the group provides “Hope Vouchers” to help pay for additional necessities such as a photo ID necessary for employment or a tire replacement for a car used for work. This volunteer-run program also provides peer advocacy and support for addiction and recovery and referrals for various services. These grants are also helping the Zellous Hope Project increase the women served through its Hope Chest and Hope Voucher Programs from 19 to 100 families, providing them with weekly wellness checks to assure their transitions go smoothly.

The Small and Mighty grants program, an outcome of the Foundation’s 100 Percent Pittsburgh organizing principle, has, as of Dec. 2019, awarded $1.25 million to nonprofit organizations with budgets of less than $600,000.

Zellous Hope Project has an annual operating budget of $46,000.

To learn more about Zellous Hope Project, visit https://www.facebook.com/zelloushope/

Read about the Small and Mighty initiative