Spirit of Hope

Spirit of Hope and Sunshine Community Preschool
Hope to Cope
DETROIT, MI

When Evelyn sent her son, Brian, to preschool, she worried about him adapting to a new setting where strangers (teachers) were also in charge of many other children. Not only that, Evelyn needed to find an affordable school that would still allow her to save for his college education.

Sunshine Community Preschool in Detroit, run by Spirit of Hope—a combined ELCA and Episcopalian congregation—provided the answer to Evelyn’s prayers. In an area with one of the highest rates of poverty in Michigan, Spirit of Hope runs the school as well as a food pantry and community kitchen. The school offers a steady tuition rate for people with low incomes.

The school budget was previously unable to afford food for its 45 students, so teachers sacrificed part of their paychecks to purchase food for students. Now, thanks to an ELCA domestic hunger grant, the school can afford to provide food for children whose families have low incomes.

Thank you for your gifts to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal! You make a difference each day in your own city, state, synod, and country.