The trucks are coming

Charity: Convoy of Hope equips believers, reaches the needy | Rusty Leonard and Warren Cole Smith

Convoy of Hope

Warmer weather is not the only sign of spring. The roll-out of huge Convoy of Hope (COH) tractor-trailers means that a new season of giving is also underway.

Convoy of Hope, founded in 1994, takes advantage of an important and growing trend in the charity world: in-kind corporate giving. Food and pharmaceutical supplies sitting unsold and near their expiration dates burden their manufacturers but bless ministries such as Convoy of Hope. Technology and brightly painted trucks allow COH to bring donated food and medical supplies to inner-city parking lots and open spaces for weekend festivals. The festivals allow local organizations that partner with COH to provide not only food and pharmaceuticals, but also haircuts, medical screenings, dental work, and gospel presentations—to thousands of families in a single day.