Northview Harvest Ministries Outreach will break ground this morning on a facility to help expand the church's aid to those in need.

The facility will be home to the Restoring Hope Center, a place that church official will help reach more needy people of Scotland County and the surrounding counties.

The outreach ministry is the vision of Northview Harvest Ministry Pastor Kenneth and Joyce Blease and Mildred Sessoms. Their vision culminated in the birth of the Northview Harvest Ministries Outreach in July 2000. This original vision was to distribute food, clothing and household items.

The ministry now includes the Summer Feeding Program, which has brought the people, churches, civic groups, businesses and government of Scotland County under one banner to help feed the children of Scotland County, and Christmas Cheer, which helps provide Christmas to families who have little or no hope of providing a good Christmas.

"We have a responsibility to this ministry to make sure we help those who really have a need," Pastor Faye Coates, the current director of the Summer Feeding Program, said.

The new building will be used to store and give out more food, clothes, and household items, allowing them to further impact their community.

With the new building, the ministry also plans to offer classes were they will be able to teach and train people in the skills that they need to become self-sustaining and self-sufficient, Coates said.

The outreach ministry also plans to use the building to help the youth of the county. With the construction of the Center, the outreach ministry hopes to be able to offer youth intervention and prevention programs, as well as programs that will help the youths of the county set achievable goals that will help them fulfill their dreams for their futures.

The biggest thing that the construction of the Restoring Hope Center will allow Northview Harvest Ministries Outreach to do is provide temporary emergency housing, church officials say.

Currently, there is absolutely no temporary emergency housing available in Scotland County. With the construction of the Center, the ability to temporarily house and feed people will finally be available.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be held this morning at 10 near Scotland Motors on North Main Street in Laurinburg.

For information and to find out how you may contribute or receive assistance, contact Pastor Faye Coates at 276-4460.

Contributions may be sent to Restoring Hope Center, Inc. PO Box 1497 Laurinburg, NC 28353.