Day of Hope serves families with free turkeys, clothes, haircuts

Nov. 20—Hundreds of families were served and provided necessary materials like food and clothes during the annual Day of Hope event Saturday at Victory Outreach Twin Cities in Marysville.

Jessica Pimentel, who is on the Victory Outreach Twin Cities board of directors with her husband Jesse Pimentel, recalls one family on Saturday morning waiting patiently outside the church in the rain without any coats.

"They were standing in the rain waiting to come in (and) eight kids were able to get jackets," Pimentel said. "They walked out with jackets and their dinner turkey."

For the past 12 years, Victory Outreach Twin Cities has been providing Thanksgiving turkeys, winter clothing and free haircuts to families in need. In addition to the Thanksgiving feast and warm clothes, there were approximately 15 local agencies situated in a line waiting to provide information to those receiving the turkey and clothes. In exchange for the information, government agencies like Youth For Change, Yuba College and Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health provided a stamp to the family. When the family's card was full, its recipients received a turkey and ingredients for a Thanksgiving feast.

Jesse Pimentel said each family needed to talk to about half the vendors to receive the turkey.

The process worked, as it does every year, Pimentel said. Halfway through the four-hour event, Pimentel said half of the 500 turkeys were handed out.

The turkeys were donated by the Yuba-Sutter Food Bank, while the clothing was purchased by the church through monetary donations, Pimentel said.

Tucked away in the back of the church past the vendors was the third feature: a free haircut for anyone in need of a holiday chop.

"They walked in not knowing what to expect, they walked out with a smile," Jessica Pimentel said.

One vendor in particular gave a spirited speech about how an event like Day of Hope and the information it provides can turn two lives around.

Freddy Cuevas was present with his wife Nicole Cuevas running the Men's Victory Home booth, which is a partner of Victory Outreach Twin Cities.

Men's Victory's Home, as Director Freddy Cuevas said, is a 12-month sober living home located directly across from Yuba College's Marysville campus.

Freddy and Nicole Cuevas are both byproducts of the resource and now help run the home.

"I'm blessed to be part of this and make an impact in the Yuba-Sutter area," Freddy Cuevas said.

Cuevas said, as of Saturday, there was one bed available at the Men's Victory Home.

The bed is available at no charge and more information is available at Victory Outreach's website under the Men's Victory Home tab, Cuevas said.

Nicole Cuevas said there was a time when her life was spiraling out of control when she was addicted to methamphetamine and alcohol.

"This is a beacon of light," Nicole Cuevas said. "It brings you back to your spiritual side. It worked for me."

For women looking for a change, Cuevas said there are many similar setups in the Sacramento region. Freddy Cuevas is also available at 530-632-8278.