H.O.P.E Inc.

What H.O.P.E Inc. does

H.O.P.E. Inc. (Helping Other People Everyday) is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency founded in 2005 and headquartered in Lyndonville, Vermont. The organization operates a single physical thrift store at 136 Church Street that serves as both retail revenue source and the operational hub for direct service delivery. Store proceeds, tax-deductible monetary donations (including via the Zeffy online platform), a four-tier corporate sponsorship ladder ($1,000-$10,000), and fundraising events fund a portfolio of community programs addressing food insecurity, homelessness, clothing access, and crisis recovery in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.

The service portfolio includes the Backpack Program (weekly food for food-insecure children across 10 regional school districts), an Emergency Food Pantry with a client-choice model, Homeless and Crisis Services, a Clothing Voucher Program, the Lyndonville Diaper Bank (Vermont Diaper Bank distribution site), the Sparkle & Shine Prom Closet (formal attire lending, rebranded from the Princess Project in 2025), Fire Survivor Vouchers, Holiday Programs (Thanksgiving, Christmas, MLK Day, Easter), and the Budget Bites nutrition education program. The organization is not affiliated with any religious institution and explicitly retains autonomy over how donations are deployed. The technology stack is minimal — there is no proprietary platform, no API, no mobile application, and no AI/ML capability — with the digital footprint limited to a Wix-based website (hopevermont.com) and an active Facebook page.

The go-to-market model is community-led: H.O.P.E. relies on volunteers, in-kind donations, word-of-mouth referrals through schools, churches, and partner agencies, and earned media from local outlets. Strategic partners include the Umbrella organization (St. Johnsbury), NECKA (Northeast Kingdom Community Action), the Vermont Foodbank, Lawson's Finest Liquids Sunshine Fund, Saint J Subaru, The White Market, and Vermont State University-Lyndon. In 2023, H.O.P.E. served 2,417 individuals and has distributed 25,000+ backpacks of food since founding; the Backpack Program alone is projected to exceed $300,000 in item value in the 2025-2026 school year.

Name

H.O.P.E Inc.

Legal name

H.O.P.E. Inc.

Website

https://hopevermont.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

H.O.P.E. Inc. is a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a thrift store and community programs that provide food, clothing, and crisis support to individuals and families across 37 towns in the Northeast Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services (Nonprofit)

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Donation, Resale & Disposal Coordination (HSAFAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Off-Price Home Organization & Storage Retail (CRAEACAE), Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination (HSAFABAI)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Thrift store operations
• Food assistance programs
• Emergency food pantry
• Nonprofit basic needs support

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyndonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Thrift Store Sales: Proceeds from selling donated clothing, household items, and goods at the H.O.P.E. Thrift Store in Lyndonville, VT. Store sells new and used items donated by the community.
2. Monetary Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, businesses, and community members. Collected via Zeffy online platform and mailed donations.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Business sponsorships at various levels ($10,000 Community Leader, $5,000 Community Partner, $2,500 Community Sponsor, $1,000 Community Benefactor) providing recognition and benefits.
4. Fundraising Events: Proceeds from community fundraising events including Subaru Share the Love campaign, Lawson's Finest Sunshine Fund, and various local business drives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

H.O.P.E. operates a nonprofit thrift store in Lyndonville, Vermont that sells donated new and used goods (clothing, household items, furniture, books, toys) to fund a portfolio of free community service programs. These programs provide food, clothing, household basics, and emergency assistance to individuals, families, and children in need across the Northeast Kingdom region of Vermont. All charitable services are provided free of charge to community members in need.

Product overview

H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everyday) is a private nonprofit organization operating a single physical location in Lyndonville, Vermont. The organization operates as a thrift store (the core revenue-generating product) that funds a portfolio of community service programs. Programs include: Backpack Program (weekly food for food-insecure children), Emergency Food Pantry (client-choice model), Homeless and Crisis Services, Clothing Voucher Program, Diaper Bank, Sparkle & Shine Prom Closet (formal attire lending), Fire Survivor Vouchers, Miscellaneous School Vouchers, Holiday Programs (Christmas, Thanksgiving, MLK Day, Easter), and Budget Bites recipe program. The thrift store serves as the central hub where community members, donors, and those in need interact, and store proceeds fund all programs. The organization does not operate as a technology platform or SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• H.O.P.E. Thrift Store A thrift store selling donated new and used goods including clothing, household items, furniture, books, games, and toys. Proceeds from the store fund H.O.P.E.'s community service programs and mission. Open Tuesday-Friday 10AM-5PM and Saturday 10AM-4PM at 136 Church St, Lyndonville VT.
• Backpack Program Provides food-insecure children with backpacks filled with meals and snacks weekly to support better learning and nutrition. Partners with 10 regional school districts in the Northeast Kingdom and has served over 1,000 children in the current school year.
• Emergency Food Pantry A client-choice food pantry providing emergency food assistance to individuals and families in need. Offers weekly soup sharing tradition and food packages.
• Homeless and Crisis Services Provides emergency assistance including tarps, meals, tents, socks, undergarments, toiletries, winter wear, hand warmers, and household packages for those experiencing homelessness or crisis situations.
• Clothing Voucher Program Provides free clothing vouchers to community members in need. Credit renews quarterly per household member. Items priced $5 or less are shopped from the thrift store.
• Lyndonville Diaper Bank Distributes free infant/children's diapers and adult incontinence products to those in need. H.O.P.E. is a distribution site for the Vermont Diaper Bank.
• Sparkle & Shine: H.O.P.E. Prom Closet Lends formal prom attire including over 300 dresses, suit jackets, and tuxedos to local high school students at no charge. Includes accessories such as ties, purses, and shoes.
• Fire Survivor Vouchers Provides household item vouchers to families or individuals who have experienced fire or catastrophic flooding. Recipients can return unlimited times within a year to find needed items.
• Holiday Programs Includes Christmas gift boxes serving 616+ individuals with pajamas, outfits, boots, toys, and stocking stuffers; Thanksgiving meal delivery in partnership with the Darling Inn; MLK Jr. Day coat giveaway; and Easter baskets averaging 40 for area agencies.
• Budget Bites Weekly recipe and tasting program providing budget-friendly recipes to help community members learn to cook and store healthy foods on a limited budget.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,417 individuals helped during 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The White MarketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe White Market partners with H.O.P.E. for round-up checkout donations program, allowing customers to round up purchases to benefit H.O.P.E.
• UmbrellacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCritical partner organization based in St. Johnsbury VT. Collaborates with H.O.P.E. on referrals for clothing and basic needs support for individuals experiencing domestic violence and other crises.
• Vermont Foodbank / Vermonters Feeding VermonterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerH.O.P.E. is an emergency Vermont Food Pantry. Received grant from Vermont Foodbank Grant, Vermonters Feeding Vermonters to purchase CSAs from local farmers and support food programs.
• NECKA (Northeast Kingdom Community Action)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNECKA provides employment and housing support services. H.O.P.E. refers clients to NECKA for additional assistance with housing and economic needs.
• Vermont State University - Lyndon (AMS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican Meteorological Society students at VTSU-Lyndon assist with food donation sorting and organizing, and collaborate on community service projects like Gifts of Warmth.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: The national hunger-relief network whose member food banks, including Vermont Foodbank, supply local pantries like H.O.P.E.'s Emergency Food Pantry. Comparable in mission but operates at vastly larger scale and through a wholesale-distribution model.
• United Way of Northeast Vermont: A regional United Way affiliate that funds and coordinates with multiple local nonprofits including food, housing, and youth programs, operating as a broader umbrella over the same community services space as H.O.P.E.

Emerging players

• Dress for Success: A nonprofit that collects and distributes professional and formal attire to people in need, directly analogous to H.O.P.E.'s Sparkle & Shine Prom Closet program that lends formal wear to local high school students.

Direct peers

• Goodwill Industries International: Operates thrift retail stores whose proceeds fund workforce development and community programs, the closest direct analog to H.O.P.E.'s thrift-store-funds-mission model, but at vastly greater national scale.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStores: ReStores are nonprofit home-furnishings thrift outlets whose proceeds fund housing programs, paralleling H.O.P.E.'s model of using donated-goods resale to underwrite community services.
• Vermont Foodbank: An active H.O.P.E. partner that distributes food statewide and provides grant funding to member pantries; directly comparable as a hunger-relief organization operating in the same Vermont geography.
• Salvation Army: Runs thrift stores combined with social services including food assistance, disaster relief, and holiday programs, mirroring H.O.P.E.'s integrated retail-plus-human-services structure at much larger scale.
• Northeast Kingdom Community Action (NECKA): A regional antipoverty agency serving the same Northeast Kingdom geography as H.O.P.E., focused on housing, employment, and basic needs support, with overlapping client referrals and program scope.
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Operates thrift stores whose revenues fund local conferences providing food, clothing, and emergency assistance to neighbors in need, a near-direct comparison to H.O.P.E.'s service mix.
• Umbrella (formerly AWARE): A St. Johnsbury-based domestic violence and crisis services organization that actively refers clients to H.O.P.E. for clothing and basic needs, serving the same population in the same region.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hopevermont
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hopevt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about H.O.P.E Inc.