House of Mercy Helps Alleviate Area Hunger and More

Hunger and poverty are sometimes invisible in this area said Ann Cimini, Executive Director of House of Mercy. But that doesn’t mean the problem doesn’t exist. At the June meeting, Cimini spoke about how House of Mercy, Sterling Women Prince William’s nonprofit of the month, helps hundreds in need by providing food, clothing, financial education, job hunting, networking and more in Prince William County and surrounding areas

Cimini began as the volunteer coordinator about five years ago and worked her way up to Assistant Director and finally Executive Director. She said she hasn’t had a weekend off in several weeks because it has been so busy at House of Mercy. “It’s very rewarding work,” she said. “You don’t do it for the money.”

House of Mercy helps anyone in the community who can demonstrate need. In order to qualify for services, people receiving assistance have to take a free course offered by House of Mercy in order to help them build their job skills and financial knowledge so that they can work toward financial independence. Some of the courses offered are English as a second language, home budgeting, attitude adjustment and parenting. They have recently overhauled their English as a second language course to cover everyday English speaking situations, like going to the doctor’s office or completing forms at a school office, pharmacy or post office.

Cimini said House of Mercy serves around 750 to 1,000 families per year and does not receive any funding from state or federal governments. And although they are a Catholic organization, they are not affiliated with a particular church and do not receive money from the church. This means they are solely dependent on their donors for funding. They also depend on volunteer labor and are always accepting new volunteers.

A big project right now is the New Shoes drive. Through August 22, House of Mercy will be collecting new shoes for school children. Cimini said there is great need in the community for new shoes for kids, as they are often wearing old, worn out or ill-fitting shoes. She said old shoes are a big source of ridicule for kids. Currently they have 564 children in need of shoes. To receive donated shoes, parents need to be registered clients of House of Mercy. Cimini encourages donors to drop off a pair of new shoes at their office.

Cimini spoke about their thrift store, which gives free clothing to some of their clients, but is also open to the public to shop. Revenue from the store helps fund the overall charity. House of Mercy takes donations, in good condition, like household items, furniture, clothing and shoes. People can even donate their old cars. All donations are tax deductible.

House of Mercy has a food pantry, which distributes healthy foods to those in need. They participate in Project Share, a program that anyone, regardless of income level, can participate in, through which families can access quality frozen foods at low prices. Through Project Share, individuals can get about $45 worth of groceries for $22. Project Share also accepts EBT (food stamps) as payment.

For more information on House of Mercy, call 703-659-1636 or visit www.houseofmercyva.org.

Sterling Women Prince William is a local network of professionals committed to encouraging, supporting, inspiring and strengthening one another. Through events and monthly meetings, Sterling Women Prince William showcases and celebrates exceptional women in the Prince William Area.