The hottest ticket in May for South San Joaquin County might just be the Taste of Hope taking place Saturday, May 17, at the new Almond Blossom Barn event center in rural Ripon.

The evening is a benefit for HOPE Ministries that shelters an average of 220 people a year — mostly children — in shelters designed for single moms and families with both father and mother in the picture.

The $50 ticket includes three wine or beer tastings paired with heavy hors d’oeuvres.

The 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. event at 23380 South Austin Road in rural Ripon on May 17 includes live music, a live auction, and raffles.

There is also a car show you can enter online at hopefamilyshelters.org.

Ticket sales end May 12. No ticket sales will take place at the event.

You must be 21 years or older to attend.

Tickets are mailed upon purchase. Call (209) 665-7640 for ticket information.

Overall, HOPE Family Shelters have helped almost 6,000 people since they first opened their doors over three decades ago.

Last year, 89 families were housed in two of HOPE Ministries’ three shelters for three months at a time. The third shelter is transitional housing allowing for longer stays.

That represents 225 individuals of which 60 percent or 136 were children.

HOPE Ministries operates the shelter west of downtown on Yosemite Avenue as well as a shelter for single moms and children in a former rest home on South Union Road. That is in addition to a six-unit transitional housing complex near Doctors Hospital where families can stay for up to two years and pay 30 percent of their income in rent.

HOPE Family Shelters now has a success rate of 52 percent of the families they assist being able to secure their own housing after their stay is completed.

That success rate is almost triple of what most shelters experience when people they assist temporarily move on.

One reason for the high success rate is the fact HOPE Ministries operates what is considered a high barrier shelter. That means those they help must be drug and alcohol free when they enter the program and stay that way.

If they stumble, they are out on the street. That said, people are given a second chance to return to the program if they stop using.

The bottom line is it forces most to realize that they are putting drugs and/or alcohol, ahead of their children.

Robust case management that includes working with clients to help them to make better financial decisions, working on behavioral factors that contributed to them ending up being homeless, along with mentoring for life skills make a major difference.

Many often have jobs when they become homeless but due to money managing skills or other issues, end up  not being able to cover all costs including rent.

Because of HOPE Family Shelters’ approach that allows it to enjoy an unusually high success rate, securing federal and state grants is daunting.

 The non-profit formed by the Manteca Ministerial Association in 1993 relies on corporate and private donations for 90 percent of its annual $390,000 budget.

If you can help donate supplies that run the gamut from cleaning supplies to linens, call Cecily Ballungay at (209) 824-0658 or go to hopefamilyshelters.org.

 To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com