Hope, Arkansas — The city where President William Jefferson Clinton was born, also claims the world’s largest watermelons (up to 200 pounds). Hope, with a population, in 2000, exceeding 10,000, is located in Hempstead County, in the Southwestern part of Arkansas. It is 110 miles from Little Rock, the state capital. According to the 2000 Census, the population is almost evenly split between Caucasian (47.7%) and African-American (43.2%); per capita income for Caucasians is $15,495, while for African-Americans, it is $10,303.
Gwendolyn Jones, associate pastor of the Providence Missionary Baptist Church, FtoF’s nonprofit partner, affirms that both poverty and unemployment in minority areas of Hope are high.
- 44.3% of housholds in Hope have incomes of $25,000 or less. The poverty rate for individuals is 27.2%.
- More than 90% of Hope’s owner-occupied housing units are valued at less than $100,000.
- 34.8% of Hope residents over the age of 25 do not possess a high school degree.
Ten years ago, the Church launched the Exodus Food Pantry, which serves a shifting number of families in Hope. Most of its clients are single parents.
The Exodus Food Pantry
1200 North Hazel
Hope, Arkansas 71801
Attn: Gwendolyn Jones |
Chapter Chairperson
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Pam Koner
Hastings-on-Hudson,
New York |
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Sources: General Hope Information: www.hopeusa.com; demographic, economic statistics all 2000 U.S. Census, except African-American/Caucasian income data: epodunk. |
