Charities Of Hope

Mission: Charities of Hope Inc. is dedicated to honoring the blessings received in one’s life journey by “giving back” to local communities, non-profit and charitable organizations.

Background: Charities of Hope is a nonprofit organization determined to make a difference in the community. It was founded in 2002 by the president John H. Caruso Jr.

“I founded Charities of Hope as a way of helping those less fortunate than me — be it by illness, poverty, addiction, or any of the many ways life can affect anyone at anytime,” he said.

John established the charity with hard work and his own money as a way of giving back for all the blessings he has received during his life time. The purpose of the charity is to provide monetary donations to local and national organizations through the collection of clothing and shoes from drop-boxes strategically placed throughout Connecticut, which are then sold by weight. Recipients of the funds collected by Charities’ efforts include local schools and community projects, family service programs, Food for Friends, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and local church and faith-based organizations. The struggle for donations, grants, and charitable contributions has become more challenging in the last five years. And with the poor economy, organizations will need to find other sources of revenue to sustain. Charities of Hope strives to help so that these organizations can survive and continue to provide much-needed services.

Volunteer Needs: In addition to giving, Charities of Hope offers employment opportunities to those that are trying to turn their lives around. The charity provides an opportunity to those who need to fulfill community service hours with work at the warehouse. Volunteers are needed to help with drop-off box clothing collection and sorting, and other warehouse duties.

Leadership:

President and CEO: John H Caruso Jr.;

Vice President: Lori Grillo;

Chairman of the Board: Sebastian Stevens;

Director of Operations: William Streever;

Director of Finance: Marjorie Barkman;

Board members: Tracy D. Caruso, Raymond LeFoll and Siobhan Becker

Contact Information:

Charities of Hope Inc.

94 Murphy Road

Hartford, CT 06114

(860)424-0093

www.charitiesofhope.org

Marjorie Barkman is the Charities of Hope director of finance.