6,000 lives impacted by 2014 ‘Day of Hope’ in Bangor

Pastor Bobby Bledsoe (red shirt) interacts with the crowd

Pastor Bobby Bledsoe of City Reach Bangor (red shirt) spearheaded the 2014 Day of Hope

The local organizers of Bangor’s first ever ‘Day of Hope’ were pleasantly surprised at the turnout this past Saturday on the Bangor Waterfront. It’s safe to say most volunteers were not expecting so many ‘guests of honor’ to be lined up outside the event’s entrance by 9 AM. But the rain held off, and by day’s end everyone involved was simply thankful to have played a small part in the event’s success.

City workers at one point asked organizers why they didn’t give them a heads up to the number of people that they would be dealing with. To which the response was, ‘We had no idea of the magnitude God would bring.’

We had no idea of the magnitude God would bring.

Here are just some of the numbers:

Nearly 6,000 attendees (adults and children) entered the gates.

$26,000+ worth of groceries were distributed and gone by 1:00pm

A hot meal was distributed to the thousands of attendees that waited in line to receive it.

250+ free hair cuts and about 120 manicures were provided in the Salon tent by local hair stylists and volunteers giving their time. 16-20 stylists and 4-5 manicurists worked various shifts to make this happen.

Nearly 300 people used the Medical/Dental services, 200+ of which included dental services that involved free emergency fillings, as well as fluoride treatments for children. A special thanks to the medical and dental professionals that donated their time, supplies, and skills.

The Kid’s Zone had 3 bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, free popcorn, and other games for the many children of all ages who attended with their parents.

Piles and piles of clothes were donated leading up to this event, cleaned, and then given away.

Over 500 volunteers made this day happen, with local churches raising money to cover the cost of rented equipment and other needs.

10+ local bands and musical acts gave their time and talents to provide the live music and entertainment for the day. Also, another thank you goes to Neal Conant and his team at NRC Audio for providing the stage, audio equipment, and mixing services for the event.

So, what about next year? Preliminary plans were already in place to make this an annual event, and after such a successful turnout this year, that probability just increased in likelihood.

To God by the glory!

For more information on the Day of Hope and it’s organizers, read my previous blog post and this BDN article.

Here are just a few pictures from the event: