Park View Community Mission to Celebrate 30 Years of Help, Healing, and Hope in 2026

LYNCHBURG, VA — A single meal, one act of hospitality in 1996, has grown into a thriving mission serving tens of thousands of neighbors every year.

Park View Community Mission will celebrate its 30th year in 2026, marking three decades of walking alongside neighbors with help, healing, and hope.

Park View’s story began when the choir of the former Park View United Methodist Church welcomed a neighbor to share a meal and friendship. The welcome was so genuine that the following week, that neighbor returned with a friend. Soon, a single meal became a weekly neighborhood gathering.

Today, that mission is to restore the lives of families and communities by building relationships and providing life-changing resources. Park View lives out its mission through six programs and creates more than 100,000 opportunities for neighbors to receive support and care each year, addressing food insecurity, housing instability, and unemployment across the greater Lynchburg area.

“Park View’s story is a powerful reminder of what God can do with one act of hospitality,” said R. Todd Blake, Executive Director of Park View Community Mission. “Thirty years later, we’re still rooted in those same values of hospitality, dignity, and welcome.”

Park View is also grateful to recognize its 2026 Help, Healing, and Hope Partners: Tom and Linda Delaney, Foster Fuels, and Richards Insurance. Their generous support is helping make this year and its community impact possible.

Throughout the year, Park View will share stories of neighbors whose lives have been impacted and honor the volunteers and founders who helped build Park View into what it is today. This year-long celebration is also an opportunity to look forward, and to invite the community to invest in the next chapter of Park View’s story.

Park View Community Mission invites the community to follow its 30th year celebration and learn more about upcoming celebrations, volunteer opportunities, and special initiatives by visiting parkviewmission.org and following Park View on Facebook and Instagram.