Hope’s Corner provides homeless, low-income and vulnerable members of our community with nutritious meals, hot showers, laundry services, refurbished bicycles and connections to other services in a dignified and welcoming environment – all at the corner of Hope and Mercy Streets in downtown Mountain View.

We offer hot breakfasts onsite every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. No one who comes to Hope’s Corner is turned away, and no eligibility criteria are used to screen individuals. All are welcome. We also offer onsite shower and laundry services that overlap with the days and times we provide meals. This way, those who come for a healthy meal can shower, have their clothes washed, and obtain other safety net services during the same visit to our location, which is on the Mountain View campus of Los Altos United Methodist Church (LAUMC). At different times during the year, Hope’s Corner also partners with businesses, agencies, and other organizations to provide free haircuts, COVID vaccinations, flu shots, health checks, and other critical services.

The pandemic created challenges for many in our community, highlighting gaps in services for those struggling to get by. To address these gaps, Hope’s Corner expanded its meal service beyond the onsite breakfasts we have been serving since 2011. We began delivering meals offsite to RV residents at Mountain View safe parking locations on Wednesdays and Saturdays and providing meals for pickup by the Day Worker Center of Mountain View on Saturdays. We also started providing meals, showers, and laundry services on Mondays. As a result, we now provide almost 40,000 meals a year, which is more three times as many meals as we did prior to COVID.

Just as important as these services, Hope’s Corner provides a place where individuals in need, who we refer to as “guests”, know they are valued and appreciated without judgment. As an almost all-volunteer organization, we strive to create a sense of community with and among our guests. By greeting our guests, chatting with them, and learning their back stories, our volunteers convey to our guests that they matter.

Rosie is a guest and military veteran who started coming to Hope’s Corner earlier this year after participating in the cold weather shelter that operated out of the Mountain View campus of LAUMC. With assistance provided by organizations that partner with Hope’s Corner, she connected with a psychiatrist and obtained housing.

“Hope’s Corner offers resources. There’s no judgment here, the time and effort put into making snack bags, the effort that the volunteers take, it accommodates each person in a timely way and yet in a hospitable manner,” Rosie said. “It’s encouraged me to be more. It’s planted a seed in me to share with others. It’s not steak and eggs, but it’s a hot meal. And I love it. It’s a safe haven.”

Born in Mountain View, Frank has been a guest at Hope’s Corner for about six years. He started coming to Hope’s Corner with his mother to eat breakfast when they were living in a car. Besides eating many meals at Hope’s Corner, he has used our showers, obtained clothing, and received a bicycle for transportation over the years. He has also received help from partner organizations and is now working as a plumber.

“I have a lot of things to look forward in the future, and Hope’s Corner has done a lot to help me out. I couldn’t have done it without them," Frank said.

Hope’s Corner is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit located at 748 Mercy Street in Mountain View, a block off of Castro Street. Over 800 dedicated volunteers enable Hope’s Corner to provide important services to those in need. More information about our services, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support Hope’s Corner is available at www.hopes-corner.org or by calling 650-254-1450.

Hope's Corner is also a recipients of the Mountain View Voice holiday fund. Every year, donations to the Holiday Fund are divided equally among a group of local nonprofits that serve people in need. The Voice and its Holiday Fund partner, the nonprofit Silicon Valley Community Foundation, absorb all administrative costs to run the fund, and all donations are tax-deductible.

For more information about the Holiday Fund, go to mv-voice.com.com/holidayfund. To give a donation online, go to embarcaderomediafoundation.org/holiday-fund/mountain-view. Checks can be made payable to Mountain View Voice Holiday Fund and sent to 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto 94306. The Holiday Fund campaign will run through early January, with grants awarded in the spring.

Mike Hacker is a board member and volunteer for Hope's Corner.