WS Chronicle

Hope Dealers Outreach (HDO) is accepting donations for a Thanksgiving dinner giveaway to be held on Nov. 20 at the Skyline Apartment complex. They are hoping for donations of canned food, turkeys, hams and cases of water, said Frankie Gist, HDO founder.

HDO partnered with Healthy Blue of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC and Cyclebar Winston-Salem for the event.  HDO did a similar event last year in Salem Gardens where they knocked on doors and gave out food to the tenants. This year he wanted to expand it and go to another neighborhood and feed those residents as well.

“I told my team that I wanted to go out into different neighborhoods for Thanksgiving and see them, because a lot of people aren’t fortunate enough to afford a meal,” said Gist. “They really work hard day by day to be able to put a meal on the table for them and their children.

“So, we wanted to come into Skyline Apartments and do the same thing, but different. Rather than knocking on doors, we would have things set up for them to walk up and grab what they need and go. We wanted to do it with some people that I know love giving back, for example Cyclebar and Healthy Blue.

Gist stated that once he told the owner of Cyclebar what was going on, they immediately jumped on board. With everything people are going through in this pandemic, Gist says this is just one way to show people that there are those out there who care about them.  

“It’s a lot of people that went through this pandemic that need help,” he said. “Not only do they need help, but they experienced a lot of trauma. You know they have lost their jobs, barely was able to pay rent, and we want to come back and bless their life and let them know that they will get through this pandemic era.

Gist says they are looking for additional volunteers to come out and help with the event at Skyline Apartments. He says even if there are people who want to donate food on Saturday, they are welcome as well.

The reason that HDO chose the Skyline Apartments is the recent uptick in violence that the community has suffered through. Gist is hoping a gesture of love will be the spark that helps turn things around.

“Skyline has been experiencing a large increase in gun violence and we want to go into this community and bless them and let them know that we are bringing love, peace and unity back into this community,” Gist continued. “Through food and through giving, we can make that happen. When people see that you care, they will start caring about themselves and then they’ll start caring about their behavior and how they move day to day in their communities and this world.”

Gist was very appreciative of Cyclebar and Healthy Blue for their participation in this event. Dixon Douglas, the owner of Cyclebar, has worked with Gist almost since the beginning of HDO. He says both organizations have gone above and beyond with their assistance.

HDO has really been one of the organizations that has been out in the forefront during the pandemic, helping people and holding several events. Gist says it was intentional to make sure they stayed visible during this time when people needed help the most.

“Hope in Hope Dealers stands for helping other people everywhere and we are an organization that doesn’t see obstacles,” he said. “Everybody thought the pandemic was going to be an obstacle for us, but it wasn’t. It gave us more strength to keep pushing.

“Now, more than ever, our people need us. Our people need somebody to say, ‘I don’t care what we are going through in this world, we are here.’ I can’t do this without a solid team and my team works extremely hard. They are so dedicated to being a blessing to others. Our motto at Hope Dealers is love isn’t love until you give it away. Love doesn’t have limits, love is unlimited.”

The drop off locations for donations are the Cyclebar, 400 West Fourth St. and a donation box in the lobby at 500 West Fifth St. You can also contact Gist and HDO at hopedealerso16@gmail.com.