Giving Hope & Help: Continuing a Legacy

Since November 2013, Giving Hope & Help has been advocating to stop domestic violence and end period poverty in domestic violence shelters in Kansas City and around the globe. 

The mission of the 501(c)3 nonprofit originated in the legacy and life experiences of the founder, Jessica Lynn McClellan. It’s in her DNA to make a difference. Her family legacy is from slavery to school buses to scholarships and service. Jessica’s great-grandfather, Robert L. McCallop Sr., founded the first school bus service in Johnson County, the R.L. McCallop Bus Company in Shawnee, Kansas, to transport black students who lived in Johnson County, Kansas, to attend school in Wyandotte County, Kansas, so they could receive a public education, positively impacting thousands of lives through education. Jessica carries on the legacy of social justice with philanthropy and humanitarianism through GH&H, which meets community needs by advocating to end period poverty and domestic violence and support the survivors; supporting students and schools with educational tools; awarding college scholarships to underserved students in the same high schools the McCallop Bus Company transported students to; and supporting cancer patients and fundraisers for a cure. GH&H became registered in the state of Texas as Texas Giving Hope & Help in 2015 to focus on ending period poverty and domestic violence advocacy. 

Domestic Violence Advocacy and Feminine Hygiene Period Product Drives
Giving Hope & Help collects period products, typically the least-donated products to shelters, and packaged children’s and women’s underwear year-round to bring awareness to domestic violence and period poverty and to support domestic violence shelters, places of refuge, homeless shelters, natural disaster relief, women and girls’ organizations, schools and correction facilities. Global distribution includes Cambodia; Haiti; Nairobi, Kenya; Mexico; the Bahamas; Zambia, Africa; GH&H has provided funding for reusable pads and panties for girls associated with the nonprofit Smart Child Kenya in Limuru, Kenya, for the last five years. To date, GH&H local and global impact has benefited over 50,000 women, girls and menstruators. 

LOVE Bags 4 Cancer Donation and Delivery Events
The LOVE Bags 4 Cancer initiative uplifts male and female cancer patients annually in honor of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day and year-round. Over 500 hospitalized cancer patients have been inspired and uplifted with the hand delivered LOVE Bags 4 Cancer since February 2015. A portion of the proceeds benefits the American Cancer Society. The initiative was founded in  Jessica’s late niece’s honor, Tieara McCallop,  who battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. 

Education Is Your Passport Program
The program provides educational and financial assistance for pre-K through adult college students. The program’s annual scholarship initiative, The Education Is Your Passport Scholarship Program benefits underserved high school seniors and non-traditional college-bound students. It awarded 79 scholarships to underserved, college-bound high school seniors from 2015 to 2021, including four full-ride scholarships to Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley. ■

Period products are the least-donated items to women’s shelters and domestic violence shelters.
2021 is the ninth year of GH&H’s outreach project.
Event: The Giving Hope & Help 9th Annual Feminine Hygiene Period Products Drive
When: December 11, 2021, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Where: Mohart Multipurpose Center, 3200 Wayne Ave., KCMO 64109
What to Donate: Pads, tampons, individually wrapped panty liners and individually wrapped feminine wipes, packaged children’s and women’s underwear sizes 5 to 4XL.
More Info: givinghopeandhelp.org and 816-607-1813.