Events & Programs
Connecting Hearts, Changing Lives
Horizons Youth Enrichment Program (HYEP) is committed to meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, and youth in Hartford through year-round outreach, seasonal support, and mentoring programs that promote dignity, stability, and empowerment.
☕ Year-Round Coffee & Donuts Outreach
HYEP partners with HYPE to provide consistent food outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness, the first two Sundays of each month. Services include coffee, donuts, breakfast sandwiches, muffins, bagels, sandwiches, soup, and other hot meals to address immediate food insecurity.
🧴 Basic Necessities & Hygiene Bag Distribution
We distribute hygiene and basic necessity bags to individuals in need. Each bag includes essential items such as soap, washcloths, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shaving supplies, feminine hygiene products, shampoo, and lotion.
🔥 Stop the Violence Summer Cookouts
During the summer months, HYEP and HYPE hosts community cookouts aimed at promoting peace, unity, and violence prevention. Events are held in multiple Hartford neighborhoods, including Unity Plaza, Sigourney Park, South Green Park, Orange Street Park, and the park behind the YWCA on Albany Avenue.
🧥 Share the Warmth – Winter Wear Drive
Once a year, HYEP, HYPE and Pilgrim Way Baptist Church Women’s Ministry collects and distributes new and gently used winter clothing and supplies to individuals experiencing homelessness. Items include coats, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, socks, blankets, comforters, sleeping bags, and winter clothing.
🦃 Thanksgiving Dinner Box Program
In partnership with Pilgrim Way Baptist Church Women’s Ministry, HYEP provides Thanksgiving dinner boxes to families in Hartford, helping them prepare a complete holiday meal with dignity.
🎄 Christmas Giving Program
HYEP partners with Pilgrim Way Baptist Church Women’s Ministry to provide Christmas gifts to siblings who lost their father to gun violence in Hartford. This long-standing program offers consistent support and encouragement during the holiday season.
🎁 Holiday Meal & Toy Partnership
HYEP and HYPE collaborates with another community organization to provide holiday meals while the partner organization distributes toys to more than 250 children annually, ensuring families experience both nourishment and holiday joy.
👧🏽 Girl Talk Mentoring Program
Girl Talk is a mentoring program serving 5–8 young women, focused on building self-esteem, self-respect, financial literacy, leadership skills, and community service engagement.