Getting To Know Us
ROH was founded in 2001 branching off from the original Open Door Chapel organization that had been in operation since 1986. Following the Open Door Chapel model, ROH offered a free coffee house, Bible studies, Sunday worship services and a mentorship program. The organization also began meal service on Sunday afternoons.
Today, ROH has evolved into an emergency/temporary shelter for men and a food ministry where hot meals are served to all who are hungry. A safe, clean place to sleep, good food and hot showers are provided 365 days a year for up to 32 men per night in ROH’s shelter. Meal ministry staff and volunteers serve five hot, nutritious meals per week to an increasing number of hungry community residents and visitors. Over 21,000 meals were distributed in 2009, up from 6,500 meals served the previous year. The services provided in both ministries are free.
ROH, which accepts no government funding, is regularly supported by area churches representing many different denominations, as well as by various individuals, businesses and other civic-minded organizations. From the beginning, ROH has been dedicated to providing help and hope to those in need with particular focus on serving “the least, the last, the lost.”
Our Mission
Refuge of Hope Ministries is an inner-city, faith-based organization to downtown Canton, Ohio. Our mission is to provide spiritual hope, food and shelter to individuals in crisis in the Greater Canton area. Refuge of Hope focuses on serving God by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and teaching His Word. We exist to fight the overwhelming and often unnoticed onslaught of homelessness. Our goal is to help individuals return to societal living as assets and contributing community members.
At Refuge of Hope, we strive to improve the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of everyone who walks through our doors; strengthen ties with area churches to provide outreach on an ongoing basis; and cooperate with other organizations to alleviate hunger and homelessness.
We are a donor-based organization, funded entirely by the gifts of individuals, churches, businesses, and other members of our community. When you donate to Refuge of Hope, you keep our organization, our men’s emergency shelter and our additional ministry outreach services alive.
To learn more about contributing to Refuge of Hope, visit the Donate Page
