Threads of Hope

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Mission Statement Threads of HOPE NC Inc. is a laboratory business for training and educating rural women on all aspects of entrepreneurship and business development. Our laboratory business pays a living wage, provides good benefits in a healthy, positive work environment, produces sustainable products and supports other local businesses. Our focus is on health promotion, social improvement, and sustainable economic development.

Threads of HOPE NC is the result of a 15-year relationship with the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) and Sampson and Duplin Counties. Like much of rural North Carolina, this region was devastated by the decline of tobacco and textile production over the last decade. HOPE Works is a project dedicated to the revival of these communities. The hope is to connect low-income African American, Native American, Latina, and Anglo women who want to gain entrepreneurial skills and work experience to support themselves and their families.

Threads of HOPE NC is built on the premise that women who have hope make healthier lifestyle choices and feel empowered to improve their socio-economic status, engage in preventative health behavior and achieve life goals.

Threads of HOPE NC is a spin-off of HOPE Works (HOPE stands for Health, Opportunities, Partnerships and Empowerment), a project developed by the UNC HPDP research team and Community Advisory Committee to address the lack of hope felt by women in eastern rural North Carolina.
HOPE Works is designed to connect women with resources within themselves as well as within the community needed to set and achieve life goals to lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Recent surveys confirm the women of HOPE Works believe they cannot improve diet, manage stress, increase exercise, or lose weight when they are concerned about having jobs and supporting their families. Threads of HOPE NC was created to incorporate entrepreneurial training, financial literacy, job skill training, job creation, and health promotion by the women of HOPE Works.
As part of HOPE Works, the women participate in HOPE Circles which consist of eight to 12 women led by a trained community member. In the HOPE Circles they learn strategies to reduce stress, increase intake of fruits and vegetables, increase exercise and overcome barriers to change. They exercise and prepare healthy meals together and support one another in setting health behavior and life improvement goals. The HOPE Circles meet at least twice a month for six months.

In the News

Watch on YouTube.
In April 2008, Threads of HOPE NC participated in the Raleigh Whole Foods Bag it out in Style event to celebrate Whole Foods' discontinuation of offering plastic bags to customers.
In May 2008, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention featured Threads of HOPE NC in an article, Sewing the Seeds of Good Health.
In June 2008, we supplied tote bags for the Second Annual NC Cancer Survivorship Summit in Winston-Salem, NC. Read all about it in the NC Comprehensive Cancer Program's June/July 2008 newsletter!