Serving the Ozarks: Help Give Hope

It's an organization that typically operates in the background.

Help Give Hope is a non-profit organization that has been providing Christmas gifts and year-round help to thousands of families in Springfield for more than 40 years.

What was once an organization that operated out of a home, now has its own warehouse in northeast Springfield.

The work is done without government assistance and the group hand picks each family it serves.

OzarksFirst crews were there this week as each child's presents were being given to parents.

KOLR 10's Bailey Strohl and Unscripted's Maddie Conklin were able to learn the why behind what motivated a local businessman to give back to the community he calls home.

It was an idea to help his neighbors, sparked over drinks with friends in 1981.

"To be perfectly honest, I was sitting in a bar 43 years ago," says Wade Palmer, Founder and President of Help Give Hope.

Palmer says an ad on TV asking local people to adopt a family for Christmas is what led to him creating the non-profit.

"I turned to my buddies and said, 'How about we all throw 50 bucks in? And within about 20 years we're doing 150 to 200 families."

Its mission is to change the trajectory of people's lives.

Year-round, it means helping families with rent, utilities, car repairs, and providing furniture and appliances.

"Families that come to us have got to be trying to help themselves. That's the bottom line criteria that we use in helping families," says Palmer.

Along with donations, its annual garage sales in the spring and summer go on to fund thousands of gifts for kids each Christmas.

"The part that makes it so meaningful is when you touch that family, they get a Christmas that they weren't expecting," said Michael Brady, Executive Director. "Mom hops out of the car and she's crying and she's hugging all the volunteers. That one stays with you forever."

"We live and die by our volunteers and they come from all walks of life," adds Palmer. "We have a lot of our families that we've adopted over the years that now come back and volunteer for us."

This season, Help Give Hope is making Christmas possible for more than 150 families in the Springfield area.

Every year a handful of them get their presents delivered in a special way, through a visit from Santa himself.

"We take Santa Claus with us, and we go to their homes," says Palmer, "That is the culmination or the validation of everything we do. You walk into that house, those kids eyes get this big. So not everybody gets to see that, but we do. It is pretty awesome."

If you're a family that is in need of a little help you can apply for assistance on Help Give Hope's website.