In this segment from Fox 8’s New Day Cleveland, host David Moss talks with John Hutchison, Community Engagement Director for Project Hope for the Homeless, about two impactful initiatives that are making a difference in Northeast Ohio.
No Address Movie – Raising Awareness About Homelessness
Opening in theaters on February 28, No Address is a compelling film starring Billy Baldwin and Beverly D’Angelo that sheds light on the realities of homelessness. The film will be shown in Mentor and Willoughby, and a portion of ticket sales will go to support Project Hope for the Homeless, Lake County’s only emergency shelter.
Subaru Loves to Help – Coats for Kids with Operation Warm
Through the Subaru Loves to Help initiative, Adventure Subaru has partnered with Project Hope for the Homeless to donate 120 brand-new coats to children and families in need. These coats, provided through Subaru’s partnership with Operation Warm, offer not just protection from the cold, but also comfort, confidence, and security to children experiencing homelessness.
How You Can Help
- Donate essential items to Project Hope for the Homeless by dropping off items at Adventure Subaru in Painesville, Ohio or directly at the shelter.
- Attend a Final Friday Tour at the shelter to see firsthand how Project Hope serves the community.
- Watch No Address at local theaters to help raise awareness and support for those experiencing homelessness.
Adventure Subaru and Project Hope for the Homeless are committed to making a difference in the lives of those in need. Every coat, every donation, and every shared moment of kindness matters.
Learn more about Subaru Loves to Help: Subaru.com/help
Support Project Hope for the Homeless: ProjectHopeForTheHomeless.org
Full Transcript:
David Moss:
Okay, this one will really touch you right here folks, talking about Valentine's Day. Share the love this Valentine's Day with Adventure Subaru. That's right. As they partner with a shelter that helps the homeless. So John Hutchison is here from Project Hope for the Homeless and you're not doing just one thing. You've got two things going on. Involves a movie and movie stars. And then Coats for Kids.
John Hutchison:
We have coming up in theaters on February 28th is the No Address movie. And you can see it in Mentor and Willoughby. It's about homelessness. It stars Billy Baldwin and Beverly D’Angelo and we're looking forward to seeing that movie come out.
David Moss:
So how many folks are you expecting to come out for that?
John Hutchison:
Oh, we hope a lot.
David Moss:
So should people get in touch ahead to make sure they can get in? Or how does that work?
John Hutchison:
They can buy tickets from the theaters and we do get a little, some of the proceeds from the overall profits of the movie.
David Moss:
That's great. Subaru is always involved with something great. And that's a good one. And everyone loves a movie. So this is going to be on a Saturday afternoon.
John Hutchison:
It opens on Saturday afternoon and we're just really looking forward to people being aware of the movie and homelessness.
David Moss:
When I think of Subaru, I always think of outdoors, folks that like to get outdoors, rugged. Something always works, and the Coats for Kids thing really works for that too. So how do people get involved with that and how does that work?
John Hutchison:
The Subaru Coats for Kids is part of their Share the Love event and they donated 120 coats to us last month so that we have nice brand-new coats for the children, guests that we serve at the shelter.
David Moss:
Okay, so we're talking about brand new coats and jackets, that sort of thing.
John Hutchison:
Brand new coats.
David Moss:
So is the collection already done or can we still go out and collect more and how do we get involved now?
John Hutchison:
Yeah, the collection is already done and we received the coats last month. We also do accept other donations and Adventure Subaru in Painesville is one of our partners and people can drop off items there on our current needs list or they can drop them off at our shelter.
David Moss:
So you're out in the Mentor area, and the film is at the Great Lakes Theater there. And if they want to go, do they have to have a ticket already or can they get a ticket? How do they sign up for that?
John Hutchison:
Yeah, it's just like going to see a regular movie. Any show that's at the theater that day, you can buy a ticket online or you can go there that day and buy a ticket as well.
David Moss:
What is Final Friday tours? What is that?
John Hutchison:
So our Final Friday tours, we’re a 50-bed shelter in Lake County. We serve the whole county, and the tours are each last Friday of each month. It's an open sort of house where people can come and see the shelter and see how we serve our guests each year.
David Moss:
So what's going on at the dealer? You got this going on for the kids, you got the coats, you got the movie going on. How about visiting the dealership? What's that like for folks if they get interested and want to come out and see what's going on?
John Hutchison:
Well, they can go to the dealership and if they're interested in buying a vehicle, we certainly encourage them to check out Adventure Subaru. And it also is a donation drop-off place for people who want to help support us, too.
David Moss:
What is it about Subaru that connects so well with the term adventure?
John Hutchison:
They're just such a great partner with us. They really have a heart for helping the community and we're so grateful for their partnership. They've been a past supporter for a long time with us and we just really love how they support the community and they share the love, too.
David Moss:
Project Hope for the Homeless. And it's hard to believe in this day and age that there would be folks that would be homeless, but it's great that somebody's out there helping fix this situation.
John Hutchison:
Absolutely. And last year we served 390 people, including 48 children, and our success rate of people positively transitioning into permanent housing was almost 80 percent.
David Moss:
We saw some pictures just a moment ago of bunk beds and bedding, and places to stay. Where is that located?
John Hutchison:
So we're at 25 Freedom Road in Painesville Township and we've been there for almost 25 years now.
David Moss:
So a lot of information. You guys are doing a lot of great things. So there it is on the screen, No Address movie that starts Friday, February 28th, and public tour of the shelter. I imagine the public tour of the shelter. How do people change their mental approach as they visit the shelter?
John Hutchison:
I think people, when they see exactly how we serve our guests, and you can feel the love there. You can feel how it inspires people to really be able to make the changes. And we enable them by providing their basic needs and providing all the partnerships in the community to help them with their services so then they can really be self-sufficient, and you don't ever have to be homeless ever again.
David Moss:
Yeah. So do you remember the first time you were old enough to remember getting a brand-new coat and what that felt like?
John Hutchison:
It felt great. I was so happy when I got one, when I was a little kid.
David Moss:
Yeah, I was thinking about that this morning that I was reading who's going to be on the show and I was thinking like, wow, that was such a great feeling to remember now. So it's so great to give that feeling to somebody else out there who could really use it.
John Hutchison:
It is, and we know that the children really do appreciate it as well as the parents at the shelter. It's just an opportunity to make them feel good, feel special, and not have to worry about being cold and having a nice coat to wear to school or wherever they're going that day.
David Moss:
There you go. Love you, man. Love what you're doing.
