Nancy’s Hope Offers Hope to Many
When asked why she started Nancy’s Hope, Nancy Scott explained that her faith motivated her to help those in need. She says it’s been a long journey and is proud that the organization’s ever-expanding services address many needs of unhoused and low-income people.
In 2008, while working at a local preschool, Nancy saw children doing without. She started a clothes closet that soon grew to include more than clothing. As the volume of donations increased, she stored items at her home, then in rented storage units.
She got free space at the Church of the 49ers in Columbia to set up a thrift shop before moving to her current Sonora location on West Stockton Street. Income from the well-known thrift shop supports a variety of programs. Funding also comes from tax-deductible donations, both goods and cash, fundraisers, and estate sales.
Through it all, dedicated volunteer helpers who recognize the value and importance of Nancy’s vision and its positive impact on the community continue to work for the non-profit organization.
The mission is “to provide needed services to ALL members of the community, whether they be elderly, homeless, low-income families, disabled, and anyone who would not otherwise be able to obtain necessary services, through free programs and community outreach,” as stated on their website (1).
Nancy’s Hope programs include a food pantry and a voucher program for clothing, bedding, and towels available at the thrift shop; buyers who can afford it pay just 17 cents on the dollar.
Other programs are:
- Heart 2 Hand gives sleeping bags, tents, and camping supplies to unhoused people;
- Back 2 School provides school supplies each August;
- Mommy to Be supplies expectant mothers with everything from diapers to high chairs;
- Princess Project makes formal prom clothes available to high schoolers;
- Dress for Success furnishes attire appropriate for job interviews as well as job-specific clothing like scrubs;
- and Fresh Start offers household furniture, appliances, and supplies to unhoused people moving into housing (2).
Nancy’s Hope merged recently with Give Someone a Chance, which offers unhoused community members a shower bus and a laundry bus that go to various locations (3).
When asked why people become unsheltered, Nancy points to the lack of affordable housing and the need for better access to mental health services. She finds that many people who are struggling with issues like trauma, addiction, and illness have no family support. In the population Nancy’s Hope serves, 90 percent of the people receiving help have been born and raised in Tuolumne County, according to Nancy.She stresses the importance of having “a heart for people.” Guided by love and compassion, she sees Nancy’s Hope as a community center, a welcoming space where people can feel they belong. Using the analogy of a tree burned in a forest fire, which may look charred and almost dead, new growth can appear at the top, giving the tree another chance at life. That’s how she sees Nancy’s Hope.
Take Action
- Become better informed about homelessness in our community.
- Attend the Tuolumne County Homelessness Committee monthly meetings on the second Thursday at 9 a.m. on the third floor of the Francisco Bldg.
- Become a volunteer at Nancy’s Hope.
- Donate clothing and goods to the thrift shop.
- Donate funds via the website: nancyshope.org
Attend the music festival fundraiser on Oct. 4 (see the 8/8/25 issue of Engage Tuolumne for information).
NOTES
- “What Inspires Us to Do This,” The Mission, Nancy’s Hope.
- “We are here for you: Programs,” Community Programs, Nancy’s Hope.
- “Compassion Outreach Leaders To Give Update On Homelessness Initiatives,” News/Local, MyMotherLode.com, March 28, 2025.