Most automotive dealerships count the number of cars they’ve sold, the number of oil changes they’ve completed and the number of test drives that have occurred in a given month. At Premier Automotive, they’re counting all of these things, too.
They’re also counting meals served, orphans provided with a place to call home and freedom offered for at-risk individuals.
At Premier Automotive, located in New Orleans, their passion for selling and servicing cars is more than matched by their passion for meeting needs in the community and those of orphans around the world.
Giving Hope is the organization created by Tracy Duhon, wife of Troy Duhon of Premier Automotive, and their goal is to give away more than 2.5 million pounds of food and 200,000 hot meals this year. The Duhons are also preparing to open a local retreat with a 1,000 bed capacity that will offer homeless and/or addicted community members the opportunity to rehabilitate, learn job skills and get connected with employment opportunities. The Giving Hope retreat will provide a path for a brighter future.
The reach of Giving Hope is expanding beyond the needs of those in New Orleans. The organization has built orphanages in India, Honduras and Africa and plans to build one orphanage on each continent, each year.
The goals of Giving Hope are focused on first giving glory to God while promoting human dignity through five key areas: food, shelter, clothing, fellowship and freedom. For instance, Giving Hope provides clothing for community members, but their hope is that the clothing will serve a bigger need. They help individuals select clothing that will be appropriate for a job interview and for future employment.
Another example of Giving Hope’s principles in action is the fellowship available through the Angola prison re-entry program. Ex-offenders receive moral, spiritual, social and vocational training. Likewise, anti-trafficking work by Giving Hope provides shelter and protection through safe houses for women and children that are at-risk or seeking to escape slavery.
What began as a partnership with the New Orleans Mission to provide food for the hungry quickly grew as The Food Pantry of New Orleans was opened and there were more ways to help. At the same time, the Duhons experienced a life-changing event: the adoption of their daughter Annah from China.
The Duhons found a new passion for serving the needs of children around the globe, and Hope House was born. Hope House organizes annual mission trips for the purpose of funding and building orphanages around the world. Another organization, called Hope for a Home assists families seeking funding and support through the adoption process.
Of course, the Duhons aren’t running all of these organizations on their own. The support of the Giving Hope Foundation is funded by several fundraisers each year, as well as Premier Automotive vendors.
At Premier Automotive, they’re still in the business of selling and servicing cars. Their passion carries beyond that though to the care and well-being of adults in the community and children both in New Orleans and around the world. Beyond these goals, the Duhons want to spread the message of the hope that is possible when everyone pitches in to make a difference.