EPHRATA — What started as a one-day Christmas coat giveaway for 35 people has grown into a community effort serving more than 1,000 people annually, and this year His Helping Hands is welcoming its guests with a major addition: a fully operational commercial kitchen and dining space. 

The Ephrata nonprofit opened for the winter season Monday and will continue operating through the end of February, offering free winter clothing, showers, laundry services, hot meals and hygiene supplies to anyone in need. 

Volunteer Dawn Prince said the organization began in 2011 as a simple effort to help people experiencing homelessness stay warm during the holidays. 

“The first year we did it was 2011, and it was to be a one-time Christmas event,” Prince said. “We were going to give out coats and hoodies and hygiene stuff to homeless folks, and we served 35 people that year.” 

When organizers found themselves with extra supplies after that first event, they decided to do it again. Attendance doubled the following year and continued increasing. 

“We served 70 people the second year, 140 the third year, 280 the fourth year and then stayed around 300 every year after that,” Prince said. 

As the program expanded, organizers outgrew their original space and began renting facilities throughout Ephrata. The organization eventually moved into its current location at 29 Alder St. SW, Suite B, where it has continued to grow with help from grants, local businesses and community donors. 

Last year marked a major turning point when His Helping Hands launched shower and laundry services. This year, the organization completed another transformative project: a commercial kitchen capable of preparing meals. 

“We got all the funding for our kitchen, so we're serving a meal each day that we're open now too,” Prince said. 

According to Prince, the approximately $200,000 kitchen project was made possible through a combination of grants and donations secured with the help of Columbia Basin Foundation, businesses and individual supporters. Westland Development purchased the building and leased it to the organization at minimal cost, while numerous grants helped fund renovations.  

His Helping Hands will be hosting a Grand Opening Open House Dec. 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. to thank the various organizations and individuals that made the renovation possible.  

“The community, when I say wrapped their arms around this, I mean it's miraculous,” Prince said. 

That support has continued as the meal program gets underway. 

Prince recently put out a call for food donations and was overwhelmed by the response. One donor committed to providing beef each month, another purchased a new freezer when storage space became an issue, and community members have donated thousands of dollars specifically for food. 

“Over the last week we've gotten about a total of about $2,500 specifically for food,” Prince said. “Today I got a call from someone who's donating 13 cases of eggs.” 

The kitchen has become a dream realized for volunteer chef Charlotte Thomas, a member of God's Grace Homeless Ministry who spent years cooking meals in her home kitchen and delivering them from the back of her truck to people living on the streets. 

Before joining His Helping Hands, Thomas would wake before dawn, cook meals at home, load warming ovens into her vehicle and drive throughout the area offering food to people in need. 

“I would just drive around and ask people, ‘Are you hungry? Would you like a hot meal?’” Thomas said. “You get a chance to talk with them, hear their stories and let them know that they're not alone, that someone cares.” 

For Thomas, seeing the completed kitchen for the first time was an emotional experience. 

“I didn't believe it,” she said. “It started sinking in that this is real. When I saw it, I was speechless.” 

The new facility provides industrial cooking equipment, dedicated preparation areas, cold storage and a dining room where guests can gather out of the weather. 

“It's a safe place for people to come,” Thomas said. “There's restrooms, there's showers, there's laundry for them and there's a safe place to come and eat and meet the neighbors because it's not only for them, it's for the community.” 

The dining room itself carries a special meaning. 

The gathering space is being named in memory of Elizabeth Molitor, whose family collected donations for His Helping Hands in lieu of flowers following her death. Family members also contributed financially to help furnish and decorate the space. A plaque honoring Molitor will be installed in the room, which will be known as the Elizabeth Molitor Gathering Room. 

Prince said the organization's mission remains focused on meeting basic needs while restoring dignity and building relationships. 

His Helping Hands offers free showers and one load of laundry to adults every Monday and Saturday morning. The coat closet is stocked with coats, hoodies, blankets, sleeping bags, shoes, socks, gloves, hats, scarves and hygiene supplies. 

“A shower and clean clothing can do a lot to restore someone's dignity if they're sleeping outside or sleeping in their car,” Prince said. “It gives us a chance to treat people like human beings.” 

The laundry service, in particular, creates opportunities for volunteers to connect with guests. 

“Laundry takes a long time,” Prince said. “While they're waiting for their laundry to finish, we really have an opportunity to get to know people.” 

Those connections can have life-changing results. 

Prince recalled one woman who spent more than a year living in her car. The woman began using the shower and laundry services but initially kept to herself. Over time, volunteers built a relationship with her and learned she needed help applying for Social Security benefits and finding housing. 

By the end of the season, volunteers had helped her secure both. 

“She is now housed, and she is now a full-time volunteer as well,” Prince said. 

Stories like that are what keep Thomas and Prince motivated. 

“Just seeing people change from not having hope or thinking they're worthless to knowing that they matter and that they're loved,” Thomas said. “That's what it's all about.” 

The meal program is expected to become another important tool for building those relationships. 

Meals will vary depending on available donations but will generally include homemade favorites such as casseroles, soups and hot sandwiches. During Thanksgiving week, volunteers plan to serve hot turkey sandwiches with vegetables and rolls. 

Thomas hopes guests walk away with more than a full stomach. 

“Happy. Fulfilled. Accepted,” she said. “It's about family. It's about community. It's about not being alone.” 

As winter approaches, organizers are seeking donations of winter clothing, particularly coats and hoodies in sizes 2XL and larger, along with food donations and financial contributions to help offset operating costs. 

Prince said volunteers want people who need assistance to know they are welcome. 

“They don't have to ask,” she said. “They just have to come in. Our goal is to treat every single person that comes through our door like they're one of our own family.” 

When asked what she hopes visitors take away from their experience at His Helping Hands, Prince's answer was simple. 

“I hope that they leave knowing that they are truly cared about,” she said. “We try to make them know that we see them and that they are welcome.” 

    The new gathering space at His Helping Hands will be named after Elizabeth Molitor. Her family collected donations for the organization instead of flowers after Molitor passed. To honor her memory, the dining room will be known as the Elizabeth Molitor Gathering Room.
  

    His Helping Hands is open for the winter season, and they have plenty of winter gear for those who need it.
  

    Laundry machines, showers and hygienic supplies are available on Mondays and Saturdays when His Helping Hands is open. Each visitor may do one load of laundry.