Sunny skies signified the light of hope area churches and ministries, along with international relief organization Convoy of Hope, sought to bring to area families in need as the groups gathered on the north side of Veterans Park in Great Bend Saturday morning to bring “Hope for Our City.”

An army of more than 250 volunteers clad in bright blue, representing more than 30 area churches, businesses, ministries and civic organizations, descended on the park Saturday morning, with the mission of sharing the love of Jesus by meeting the most practical and pressing needs in the community.

The bright, smiling faces of volunteers reflected the mission of Christian hope and unity that organizers hoped to share with the community.

Paul Zamarripa, who greeted visitors as a parking attendant, said with so much dividing the world today, it was good to see the so many different people come together to share hope with the community.

While one of the centerpieces of the event was the Convoy of Hope semitrailer offering free groceries to those in need, the food was only one small piece of the massive volunteer-driven event.

At one tent, volunteers representing several organizations packed backpacks with back-to-school essentials for children and families.

One of those volunteers, Linda Johnson, was glad to see the community come together to give back and share the uplifting message of hope to those who need it most.

“(We want people) to see the community coming together, all the churches coming together to provide support, and to know that there’s love out there, and we’re there to support them in any way we can,” Johnson said.

The event was designed to offer free goods and services to members of the community in need as well as opportunities for fellowship and outreach through family-friendly activities.

The Rev. Jon Hembree, lead pastor of Community Christian Church in Great Bend, noted an event this size was bigger than any one single community organization.

“It’s a great opportunity to serve people,” Hembree said. “No one church could have pulled this off. We need the ‘capital C Church’ to be able to come together for this kind of thing.”

However, churches were not the only organizations represented Saturday morning.

The Great Bend Police Department was on hand offering fingerprinting for kids to help parents in case of a crisis or missing child situation. The Barton County Health Department was available with a variety of educational resources, as well as offering free back-to-school immunizations.

Tents scattered across the north lawn of the park offered a variety of concessions to visitors, as well as a free hot dog lunch. Other volunteers offered everything from haircuts, to car seat checks, to bicycle clinics and much more. Several more items, including TVs and bicycles, were available for giveaways.

All goods and services were provided by volunteers and donors, and were free without question or identity check to anyone who attended the event.

While there were plenty of giveaways, there was also plenty of fun and games to be had at the event for kids of all ages. An inflatable zone provided an outlet for energetic youth, and lawn games and craft stations of many different types were scattered at stations throughout the event grounds.

But it was more than just practical needs being met at Saturday’s event. Volunteers were also on hand to provide prayer support, to minister to people’s mental, emotional and spiritual needs, and to offer resources for support in those areas.

According to the Rev. Dwight Dozier, lead pastor at Encounter Church in Great Bend, the volunteer turnout greatly exceeded organizers’ expectations. Initially, he said, the goal was to draw 200 volunteers.

He also said the initial goal of the event was to serve 2,000 people across the various different services represented at the day’s event. He expected the event would meet or exceeded that goal.

According to Dozier, the Hope for Our City event began as an outreach initiative from Springfield, Mo.-based compassion ministry Convoy of Hope to reach out more to hard-hit rural communities. The Great Bend event was originally planned for Sept. 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19.

Faith Community Church pastor Sandy Kennedy said the partnership among the area’s churches as a single Christian body is crucial to each church helping meet the community’s needs adequately.

Dozier hopes Hope for Our City is not a one-time event, but can become an annual outreach opportunity in Great Bend.