A mission of HOPE

Ollie Harvey started giving back to the community 30 years ago, when she was a single mother living in Richmond’s Fairfield Court public housing. Her desire to help others later blossomed into the nonprofit HOPE organization.

HOPE stands for Help Our People Eat. The organization operates a food bank, job-search program, clothes and school supplies drives for children, a water bottle brand and organizes hotel stays for the homeless.

Harvey’s approach focuses on moving people toward long-term stability rather than just momentary relief.

“You have to feed them, but you also have to educate them,” Harvey said.

She said she knows first-hand the support and resources that individuals and communities need to prosper.

“Sometimes in life people just need a little push and to know that someone cares,” Harvey said.

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked the opening of HOPE’s food bank in Henrico. It opened with funding advocated by longtime Fairfield District Supervisor Frank J. Thornton.

“I was so enthralled to see a person do what she was doing, because from time-to-time people need help, and her program personifies that,” Thornton said. “Ollie has an altruistic spirit; she always wants to help people.”

HOPE's location at 4880 Finley Street is believed to be the first black-operated food bank in the county. Since the start of the pandemic, HOPE has provided food to more than 2,500 people.

As this number continues to grow, Harvey worries about meeting the need as the holiday season approaches.

“For Thanksgiving we have 175 families to take care of and for Christmas we have 475,” Harvey said.

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Harvey also raises money for the food bank and her other charitable work by selling bottled water that is labeled for HOPE.

“I never imagined HOPE would go as far as it did,” Harvey said as she reflected on her journey.

HOPE was born as a thank you to the late Elizabeth York, Harvey’s children’s principal at Fairfield Court Elementary School. Harvey said York saw something special in her and urged her to go to J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where she majored in early education.

“She bought me my first car and made sure I went to class every day,” Harvey said as she reflected on all that York did for her. Creating HOPE was the best way Harvey knew how to thank York – and to carry on her legacy.

Harvey has big plans for HOPE’s growth.

“My dream is to have a food bank in every city in Virginia,” she said.

She’s also working to opening another food bank in Henrico and to refurbish two houses in Petersburg to house homeless families.

“It breaks my heart when I get a call in the middle of the night and have to put a family up in a hotel; I just want to take them home with me,” Harvey said.

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This spirit of giving and compassion has been passed down to her children. Her son (Dana Harvey) serves as the president of HOPE., while her twin daughters (Lataisha and Lateisha) serve as co-community directors.

Lataisha is most inspired by her mother’s drive and ambition. As a single mother, Lataisha started a ‘bubble gum candy hair bow’ company on her own to support her family. She donates a portion of all sales back to HOPE.

Each of her children reflected on how their mother would give to others even when they hardly had anything themselves.

“When I realized that you could give – even in the worst of your situations – to people that were in the same or worse situation as you are, it really sparked a fire in me,” Dana Harvey said. “It really inspired me to see my mom give out of our refrigerator to anyone else that needed food.”

At 60 years old, Harvey has ambitious career goals. She currently runs a daycare center and mentors young adults. Her dream is to one day hold elected office – even governor of Virginia.

“Any position that is opening up in government, I am preparing myself to run,” Harvey said.

Harvey thinks that if elected into office she will be able to best serve the needs of the less fortunate as someone who has not only been in that position herself, but as someone who works every day to help people out of that place.

“A lot of kids are just looking for a savior, but they do not know how to ask,” Lataisha Harvey said.

Harvey believes that if everyone can come together, real and lasting changes can be made to break the patterns she has found hold people into unfortunate circumstances.

“I know I can do more, and I am going to do more before I leave this Earth,” Harvey said.