For more information on our programs email us at info@hope-orphans.org.

1 on 1 Mentorship

Education is very important to Dr. Mahipat for many personal reasons.  She was born in a small village in Trinidad into a low-income family of 5 children.  Her parents could not read or write but they knew the value of education and encouraged their children to go to school and even more so to excel.  Dr. Mahipat and her siblings did not have all the items on their school supply list, and their textbooks were passed down, but they were grateful for whatever they had.  She moved to the United States when she was 23 and had no family in this country and had never left the comforts of her own village or country, until that day.  She noticed that people with better jobs, also had degrees and decided the way to a better life was through education.  She then realized her parents were on to something by encouraging them.  She worked two jobs while attending school full time.  Her immigration status did not allow her to get students loans or grants.  She could not afford books, so she spent hours in library and through many struggles she changed the outcome of her life.  After 11 years of living in this country she graduated from Chiropractic school and 3 years later she started her own practice.  Then she started two nonprofit organizations. One helps pets and pet owners and does animal rescue; the other helps homeless, low income families, disabled, elderly and children.  She was only able to accomplish these things by continuing her education and never giving up.  Since 2004 she has provided thousands of customized backpacks for disadvantaged children in low income communities.  The reason the backpacks are filled specifically for each grade is that she wants the children who are receiving these bags, to have every single item they need and to know someone cared enough to personally shop for all of their school supplies and wants them to succeed. She needs the children to know that where they come from does not have to determine where they will end up in life.  They are in control of writing their own pages in their books of life.  With the right tools like school supplies and a desire and willingness to learn, her hope is that they will realize education is the key to filling pages with own stories of success and happiness.  When they become adults, her desire is that they will be a blessing to other children by encouraging and helping them on their journeys.  Dr. Mahipat believes that the circle of success is not complete until you reach down and lift up someone to your level.

Our goal with our new mentorship program is to follow each child’s progress throughout a long-term period spanning several years.  Each child will be evaluated at their current education level and personal situation.  Based on the child’s individual needs they will be assigned to specific board members or volunteers for 1 on 1 mentorship.  We will focus specifically on education, which will include providing them with school supplies customized for their specific school and grade.  Our mentors will also be available to help the children with school projects and homework.  Each child’s progress will be measured, evaluated, and systematically tracked and recorded.  The data will then be used to assist in the successful mentorship of other children and to set future goals.  While education is our primary focus, we will have a network of counselors, social workers, and therapists that the children can be referred to based on their needs and parent or guardian’s consent.  It is our hope and objective to cover all the needs for a child to become successful.

Since its humble beginning, HOPE has directly affected the lives of over 800 individuals internationally, as well as over 17,000 locally in Baltimore City and Baltimore County and 1,000 in other parts of the United States.  An additional 9,500 meals and toiletry packages have been provided to Baltimore’s unsheltered homeless population. 

2022 - We continued our grocery and household supplies deliveries to those in need.  Dr. Mahipat spent her birthday as usual providing a Halloween pizza party for children and families at a homeless shelter with over 300 people being served.  During the holiday season we provided and delivered over 3,000 wrapped presents for over 1,500 children in the Baltimore area as well as over 2,000 stuffed animals to those children and to residents in nursing homes as well as children in the Ukraine.

2021 – A continuation of the 2020 pandemic but with even more volume!  We continued our grocery and household supplies deliveries to those in need.  Dr. Mahipat spent her birthday as usual providing a Halloween pizza party for children and families at a homeless shelter with over 300 people being served.  The holiday season was our biggest ever.  We provided and delivered over 4,000 wrapped presents for over 1,800 children in the Baltimore area as well as over 2,500 stuffed animals to those children.

2020 - As expected was an incredibly challenging year.  HOPE had a huge increase in calls for assistance.  We do not have a food pantry so each time we received a call for aid we got a list from the client and went to the store and purchased the items and then delivered them.  Many of our calls for help were from families who were Covid positive and/or had lost their income and were in dire straits.  We made food and household item deliveries two or three times a week throughout the entire pandemic.  We also provided assistance to a homeless shelter.  We provided 15 brand new cribs with linens and mattresses for infants at the shelter as well as Halloween candy and a pizza party for over 200 people and toys during the holidays for them as well.  We provided toiletries for over 300 people at the shelter.  Additionally, we provided coats and toys and clothing for over 1,500 people in need in other areas locally in Baltimore. HOPE also continued the tradition of regularly bringing meals, toiletries, and clothing to Baltimore’s unsheltered homeless population.

2019 – 250 children received winter coats.  A school in Bermuda with 20 autistic children received 200 pounds of arts and crafts supplies.  100 homeless people throughout the year received food, clothing, and/or toiletries.  300 people in nursing homes received gifts and flowers.  600 children received backpacks filled with school supplies.  50 low income families or disabled people received groceries, clothing, and or household supplies.  1,500 children received presents for the holidays.

2018 – 100 homeless people throughout the year received food, clothing, and/or toiletries.  300 people in nursing homes received gifts and flowers.  500 children received backpacks filled with school supplies.  50 low income families or disabled people received groceries, clothing, and or household supplies.  1,500 children received presents for the holidays.  20 autistic children in Bermuda received gifts.

2017 – 200 homeless people throughout the year received food, clothing, and/or toiletries.  400 people in nursing homes received gifts and flowers.  300 children received backpacks filled with school supplies.  25 low income families or disabled people received groceries, clothing, and or household supplies.  250 children received presents for the holidays.

2016 – 300 homeless people throughout the year received food, clothing, and/or toiletries.  500 people in nursing homes received gifts and flowers.  500 children received backpacks filled with school supplies.  25 low income families or disabled people received groceries, clothing, and or household supplies.  510 children received presents for the holidays.

2015 – 300 homeless people throughout the year received food, clothing, and/or toiletries.  300 people in nursing homes received gifts and flowers.  300 children received backpacks filled with school supplies.  300 low income families or disabled people received groceries, clothing, and or household supplies.  150 children received presents for the holidays. We paid for the registration and sashes for 50 low income girls to become Girls Scouts   

2014 – 400 homeless people throughout the year received food, clothing, and/or toiletries.  250 people in nursing homes received gifts and flowers.  105 children received backpacks filled with school supplies.  110 low income families or disabled people received groceries, clothing, and or household supplies.  400 children received presents for the holidays. We paid for the registration and sashes for 50 low income girls to become Girls Scouts.  In 2014 we extended our services to Chester, PA and Melbourne, FL.

2013 – On Easter Sunday HOPE brought care packages off toiletries to 44 homeless people in downtown Baltimore.  We also continued our tradition of regularly providing them with food, clothing, and toiletries.  HOPE gave book bags full of school supplies to 72 children.  HOPE provided 2 weeks’ worth of groceries, which included an entire Christmas dinner with a ham and turkey each, for 60 families.  We also bought, wrapped, and provided toys for 150 children.  We paid for the registration and sashes for 50 low income girls to become Girl Scouts.  We brought plants and gifts to the 48 residents of Chapel Hill Nursing Home and calendars and gifts to the 145 residents of the Jewish Convalescent Nursing Home.  In December we went to Mexico and brought food, clothing, and medical supplies to 15 young women who were abused and we brought toys and medical supplies to about 100 children in a deaf and blind school and housing unit.

2012 – On Easter Sunday HOPE brought meals to 50 homeless people in downtown Baltimore.  We also continued our tradition of regularly providing them with food, clothing, and toiletries.  HOPE gave book bags full of school supplies to 38 children.  20 of the children were being raised by single grandmothers and the remaining 18 were in a homeless shelter.  We paid for movie tickets and snacks for 58 children from Grand Families.  HOPE provided 2 weeks’ worth of groceries, which included an entire Christmas dinner with a ham and turkey each, for 35 families.  We also bought, wrapped, and provided toys for 169 children (100 from Centro de la Comunidad, 48 from Grand Families and 21 children in the homeless shelter).  In addition to the people that HOPE helped locally we also fed 125 homeless people in Atlanta, GA.

2011 – On Easter Sunday HOPE brought meals to 50 homeless people in downtown Baltimore.  We also continued our tradition of regularly providing them with food, clothing, and toiletries.  HOPE gave book bags full of school supplies to 85 children.  70 of the children were being raised by single grandmothers and the remaining 15 were in a homeless shelter.  HOPE provided 2 weeks’ worth of groceries, which included an entire Christmas dinner with a ham and turkey each, for 25 families.  We also provided toys for the 70 children in those 25 families.  We bought, wrapped, and delivered toys for 20 children that were in a homeless shelter and gave cosmetics and toiletries to the 15 mothers in the same shelter. 

2010 – HOPE helped over 20 needy families right here in Maryland. Each family received 2 weeks’ worth of groceries, as well as an entire Christmas dinner, which includes ham, turkey and all the fixings.  There are also 96 children, 24 of which are in a homeless shelter and 72 which are part of the 20 families, who also benefited.  Each child received 3 toys each, as well as clothes.  HOPE also adopted the residents at Chapel Hill Nursing Home.  We delivered presents to all 63 residents on Christmas Eve.

2009 – HOPE focused on all the needy families here in Maryland.  Due to the economy we felt there was more of a need to help locally.  We helped eleven needy families in Baltimore City and spent Christmas Eve at a homeless shelter for women and children.  We helped over one hundred fifty people, including children.

2008 – HOPE visited an orphanage in Puerto Vallarta with toys, food, medicine and clothes for the children.  We visited homeless shelters in Baltimore and provided meals for needy families as well as toys for underprivileged children.

2007- HOPE visited two homeless shelters in Baltimore with toys and clothes for the children. We also provided meals for several needy families and groceries to take home. We also passed out toys to several hundred needy children.

2006 - HOPE made a visit to an orphanage in South America with over seventy children and another orphanage in the Caribbean with over fifty children.  In addition to the orphanages HOPE visited the Brown’s Homeless Shelter and had needy families in the area congregate at Spirit of Truth Cathedral in Baltimore to receive food and also gifts from Santa for the children. 

2005 - HOPE touched the lives of over one hundred fifty children and their families by visiting two homeless shelters in Baltimore and one orphanage in South America. Also, we had families meet at a local church to receive food with an appearance by Santa who brought toys for the children.

2004 - HOPE provided food, clothes and toys for over fifty children and their families in Baltimore.