Place of Hope Lauds Local Dealership For Helping Needy Children Prepare For The School Year

(KNSI) – The Compassionate Hope Family Center is thanking a local car dealership for ensuring children at the facility went back to school in style.

Part of the larger Place of Hope Ministries, the center was started in 2020 as the need for shelter exploded during the COVID pandemic. It is housed inside a former hotel located next to St. Cloud Subaru.

The nonprofit and the dealership have struck up a bond in the years since. Compassionate Hope says it has 30 families with school-age children staying there currently, something that St. Cloud Subaru General Manager Bobby Konnight and his staff noticed.

They reached out to the center and set up a Friday afternoon outing at nearby retailer Sierra. Place of Hope founders Carol and Geary Smith say they were moved by how well the Subaru employees treated each family.

The children were allowed to pick out clothing and school essentials like backpacks and lunch boxes without any restrictions. Place of Hope says they got to show off their personalities by picking items that spoke to them, which the shelter believes is important in helping the children build confidence.

They streamed into Sierra for over four hours to fill countless shopping carts. Carol and Geary Smith say the experience showed the children that their community values them, which may be the most important lesson they’ll ever learn.

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