A H.O.P.E.ful mission trip

By Aurora Ferreira

Stonehill students willingly handed over their phones for a week during Spring Break, choosing to serve instead of scroll.

“It stood out to me as a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not everyone gets a chance to really do something like this,” said sophomore Ella Patterson, a first-time H.O.P.E. (Honoring our neighbor, Organizing for justice, Practicing peace, Encountering God) participant. 

Students who want to give up their time and work towards solving social injustices can do so every semester.

If interested, students fill out an online application and share their interests in social injustice, passions, and how they wish to be an asset.

“We were in Phoenix, Arizona. There is a very high homeless population there. Our trip’s mission was hunger and homelessness, surveying people who are unhoused,” said Patterson.

Colleen Shoeck, the Campus Minister of Service Immersion, oversees the (H.O.P.E.) Program. The Arizona and Peru missions that took place this spring were organized and seen through by Staff Leaders such as Father Ryan Kerr and Brittany Lorgeree, along with Student leaders such as sophomore Charlotte Crichton and senior Lily Erving, who specifically led the mission to Phoenix from March 7-14, 2026. 

Patterson said, “We served at Andre’s house of hospitality. It’s in a portion of town often referred to as ‘Tent City’, which has a large homeless population, especially along the strip of blocks around or leading to Andre’s House of Hospitality. For four days, we served there from morning to night. They do a variety of things. It’s not a shelter; it’s a hospitality house, so people don’t stay there overnight, but there are services throughout the day.  

“They have this thing, the hygiene closet, where they can get any hygiene products that they need, which could be anything from feminine hygiene products, or basics like toothbrushes, toothpaste, or razors, shaving cream, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, tons of different things. Any product you could think of, they had,” said Patterson. 

“They also had clothing closet, where people could sign up and come in, and they are able to get essentially an entire outfit, head to toe,” Patterson said.

Dinner was the busiest experience, starting at five each night until six p.m., 500 -700 people were served a night.

“We ate the food that they would be eating, and we interacted with them in line. It was meant to help us get comfortable by being uncomfortable. We also ate with them in the cafeteria. And every night of the week, we ate the same dinner as the guests to show solidarity with them. And it was really good food. It’s food that I would want to eat regularly. We did that so we’d all be on the same level. We’re all human,” said Patterson.