Serving the community: Students travel to West Virginia for HOPE service trip

By Kate Marino

Photo Credit: Josh Moniz

Stonehill students experienced a unique opportunity to travel during spring break to West Virginia for their HOPE trip. 

For Josh Moniz, this was his second time returning to West Virginia as a HOPE trip leader.

“Each HOPE trip focuses on a social justice issue,” he said. 

“This time, we did various service projects each day, with a big focus on working with non-profits and community gardens,” he said.

The HOPE emersion trips at Stonehill, standing for Honoring our neighbor, Organizing for justice, Practicing peace, Encountering God, send students to various locations to help communities.

This year in West Virginia, one of the group’s main partners was Grow Ohio Valley, an organization that grows food locally to make nutrition more

accessible. The students spent a whole day in the groups, working for six hours.

Moniz said it was eye-opening to see the difference from his previous trip. 

“It was shocking to return a year later and see how much the area had changed. Although there are so many organizations working to address these issues, the problem is still ongoing,” he said.

“I have a soft spot for this trip—it was incredible. No two HOPE trips are the same, and I’ve gotten so much out of both,” he said.

Students who are interested in going on a HOPE trip can reach out to Campus Ministry or check their email for application deadlines. 

“The entire program is amazing, and there are trips throughout the year to fit different schedules. It’s a great way to travel while doing something meaningful,” Moniz said.