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New Orleans Field takes over Camp Hope
October 6th, 2023  |  by
The cafeteria provides space for meals, meetings, and games! Groups also can paint a ceiling tile to leave their mark on Camp Hope.

For the past decade, our Crossroads New Orleans field has partnered with Camp Hope NOLA, a volunteer housing facility in Arabi, Louisiana. Located just outside of the city, Camp Hope is a “base camp” for volunteer groups. Churches, schools, and various organizations come from all over to serve in New Orleans. Providing affordable housing and food for these volunteers has been Camp Hope’s mission since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

A group from this summer taking posing with their ceiling tile

While Camp Hope has been operated by several organizations in several locations, its legacy has always been a testament to the volunteers that have helped New Orleans recover from disaster. Now, Camp Hope has found its home in a former Catholic school located in the greater New Orleans area. The classrooms have been converted into bunk rooms, while the cafeteria and yard provide ample space for group meetings and recreation after a long day of volunteer work. 

Our New Orleans field has housed groups at Camp Hope for the past ten years, assisting in repairs and updates as needed. During that time the facility was run and staffed by The Gathering, another local partner. At the beginning of 2023, The Gathering decided their tenure at Camp Hope was coming to a close after nearly a decade of service. After a lot of research, meetings, and prayer, our New Orleans staff decided to take up the mantle and continue the legacy of Camp Hope. 

One of our college groups taking a picture with the sign outside

“We saw an opportunity to further Camp Hope’s mission by providing more staff and infrastructure to their daily operations. Camp Hope has been a positive influence on New Orleans and the volunteers that serve our city for many years. CrossRoads also came as volunteers to New Orleans, and Camp Hope has been a huge part of our story. We hope to continue impacting volunteers just as we were impacted by Camp Hope. It is a big legacy to step into, and we are excited to be a part of it.”

Camp Hope is a one-of-a-kind facility that provides housing and food for large groups on a budget. There are hundreds of volunteer groups that come to New Orleans to serve with a variety of organizations in the area. Our own volunteers have benefitted from our partnership with Camp Hope and love staying at the facility. Groups staying at Camp Hope do everything from evangelism to coastal restoration to construction and so much more. Volunteers provide thousands of valuable service hours to these partner ministries – time and skill that would not exist otherwise. We have seen first hand the value volunteers have brought to the city, spreading from downtown all the way to the swamps.

Make-your-own Pizza Night is one of the favorite events at Camp Hope

What does this new adventure mean for us? Camp Hope can house up to 250 people at one time, meaning a lot of moving parts when at full capacity!  A lot of our staff’s responsibilities will be the same as their work for CrossRoads, just on a larger scale. Coordinating with trip leaders, organizing chores, maintaining the building and property, and cooking meals for volunteers are all essential to this job and are tasks our staff is equipped to inherit. Most importantly, by taking over Camp Hope’s daily operations, we are furthering our field’s mission to help other ministries do what they couldn’t on their own. 

Our goal is to continue the standard of care that Camp Hope is known for by improving on the building and services. If you would like to help us purchase some needed supplies, please donate HERE or by texting CAMPHOPE to 71777. You can also buy supplies directly from this Wish List.

We are excited to see where this new ministry will take us, and how we can be a positive influence on more volunteers and organizations working in New Orleans.

CrossRoads volunteers showing their Camp Hope “Be the Good in New Orleans” shirts!
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