Mercy Mall of Virginia

The personal shopper experience is our trademark program where client families, and the case management that work with them, fill out an online request for items that are of critical need. These items are carefully selected, pre-packed by our shopping team, and picked up by the client/case manager. During the pick-up appointment, the client is invited into our hospitality lobbies to speak with one of our client care personnel regarding other resources, enjoy a beverage/snack, shop the miscellaneous items, and receive prayer. Our personal touch and message of hope and encouragement is what sets us apart. We served over 6000 people in 2023 with the help of over 250 volunteers and over $500,000 of solicited and unsolicited in-kind gifts.

Our wecare program continues the care and connection after the client pick-up appointment. Our client care team is available by text to offer prayer, encouragement, and further support. The program focuses on sharing other community resources, bible reading help, or locating a church. Project praise provides a extra support and encouragement on the journey to stability and can include buying new work boots or navigating resources for employment, etc. Room for change provides a much needed room redo after a child has been sexually assaulted in their room. In 2023, these projects directly roughly 15 families, including one extensive room for change project.

Adopt-a-family program is a christmas program that connects sponsor groups to families experiencing crises to provide essential items. This year, we partnered with liberation veteran services to assist veterans moving into stable housing during the holiday season. We provide clothing, housewares, baby items, paper goods, cleaning supplies, christmas items, beds, and food gift cards. Good candidates are those who have been recently rehoused after being homeless, single moms, and those who have extenuating circumstances. Families are referred by crisis case management. This is the second year we partnered with liberation church to provide an elf (every last family) shop where families are invited to shop two weeks before christmas. In 2023, we utilized the support of over 150 volunteers to serve over 135 families through this program.

Cases of hope is a program where we encase hope in a personalized suitcase full of necessities and niceties for individuals being released from four different prisons, programs, and jails. The inmate mails us specific forms outlining items needed to pack a suitcase specific to the person and the situation. The suitcases are packed by volunteers to include clothing, shoes, outerwear, toiletries, bibles, and special items that communicate a fresh start, dignity, and love. They are picked up by the program director. We pray over the suitcases and the released inmates journey to a new beginning. We distributed 434 cases of hope in 2023.

Our back to school support this past year focused on those children identified with being without stable housing and being served by the mckinney-vento team in henrico county. We utilized our new team at the new henrico/richmond location to pre-pack orders and arrange a meeting at a local church for distribution. We collected and providing backpacks, underclothing, gym shoes, socks, clothing, and hygiene items to anyone who was referred to us by this team as those who referred to us through our normal processes. In 2023, we served 150 students of all ages through this program.