On September 29, 2022, volunteers from Hope Restoration, the Red Cross, the Kinston Fire Department, City of Kinston, Kinston Police Department, Kinston/Lenoir County Parks and Recreation and Wells Fargo came together for Project Welcome Home.

According to the Press Release, “Volunteers from Wells Fargo and across the community will be installing fire alarms in local homes, painting and completing restoration projects, picking up litter with assistance from the Kinston Police Department, the Parks and Recreation Department, and Public Services Environmental Department, various lawn maintenance projects, and cleanup at a local public park.”

Chris Jenkins from Hope Restorations and others were working on homes on Mitchell Street, Greenmeade Drive and Gordon Street.

“In doing so, among the sounds of lawnmowers, hammers, and generators, we realize how alike we are and the great similarity of our struggles, hopes, and dreams for our families and future generations,” stated Jenkins.

When working together, the local organizations worked on the multiple homes with one common goal.

“We get to practice listening better to and better understanding each other while also realizing firsthand how many truly wonderful, caring people there are right here in our community. Maybe the practices helps make tomorrow’s habit a little better,” said Jenkins.

Jenkins from Hope Restoration discussed the project, and he stated, “This event is important because it’s about community. We live in a world in which it is incredibly easy to divide ourselves into smaller and smaller groups. We divide on north, south, east, and west, on socio-economic lines, on cultural differences, on political ideologies, and so forth.”

Even though the project focused on East Kinston, the main purpose of this project was about, “coming together and serving our community,” according to Jenkins.

Hope Restoration is at 611 Mitchell Street in Kinston, NC and the purpose of Hope Restorations, Inc. is to provide paid employment, training, and other support to adults recovering from addictions or incarceration. The work we provide involves acquiring deteriorating houses in our community and renovating them to more modern standards in order to provide safe, affordable, energy-efficient housing for lower-income families.