Before the first family arrives, volunteers are already at work.

Local business Flip Flop Sauce joins Gate Beautiful's crew at the grill, serving hot dogs while children gather around a nearby face-painting tent. An inflatable slide welcomes younger guests, and under one large tent, families sit together, share a meal and spend the evening in conversation.

It doesn't take long to realize Gate Beautiful isn't simply hosting an event. It's intentionally building something much harder to earn: trust.

Most people think trust is built when someone tells the truth. But trust is also built through consistency—showing up again and again, exactly as promised.

That's the idea behind Summer of Hope, a free weekly community gathering hosted by Gate Beautiful every Thursday at 6 p.m. through Aug. 13 at Christ Covenant Baptist Church at 5200 Bragg Blvd. Made possible through the City of Fayetteville Office of Community Safety's Safe Space Activation Grant, the 10-week program offers food, activities and access to community resources while creating a place where relationships can grow.

"This kind of thing is something we've wanted to do for a really long time, but we just haven't had the capacity to do it," said Abbie Arena of Gate Beautiful. "The grant definitely provided that capacity for us."

Although participating organizations could host two events each month through the grant, Gate Beautiful chose a different approach: returning to the same location every Thursday.

"We chose to stay in the same spot every time... to establish that consistency in that neighborhood, to be able to build trust and really just show up for people consistently," Arena said.

Before volunteers realized I was there as a reporter, they approached me just as they did every other attendee. They took the time to introduce themselves, learn my name, ask about my family and welcome me as a newcomer. Nothing felt hurried or scripted. It wasn't about moving me through a line or directing me to a registration table. It was about getting to know me and making me feel like I already belonged.

Arena said that's exactly the goal.

"Maybe on week one, someone's not quite ready," she said. "But maybe by week four or five they've established enough of a relationship to realize, 'Okay, you're the real deal,' and feel comfortable asking for the help they need."

Sometimes, that relationship begins with something as simple as friendship.

During the program's third week, volunteers celebrated the birthday of a returning participant who had been facing difficult circumstances. It was simply the natural result of taking the time to know one another.

"It's starting to feel more and more like a little community," Arena said. "They're just accepting friendship, and that's really what we wanted — to establish that community."

District 8 City Council member Shaun McMillan said the Safe Space Activation Grant, funded through the City of Fayetteville Office of Community Safety and led by Director John Jones, is designed to strengthen organizations before crises occur rather than to respond afterward. The office awarded reimbursement grants to four local organizations, including Gate Beautiful.

"Too often we focus on the outcomes," McMillan said. "In a preventive way, they're pouring into organizations and the spaces that provide safety and meet people's needs."

He said programs like Summer of Hope are "creating opportunities for people to come together in a strong community."

Gate Beautiful, which supports individuals impacted by human trafficking through case management, legal advocacy, rehabilitation referrals, detox services and other support, created Summer of Hope to become a bridge long before someone reaches the point of asking for help.

Attendance grew from 33 participants during the first week to nearly 60 during the second. By the third week, volunteers were greeting familiar faces, and families were bringing friends along.

What stayed with me most wasn't the hot dogs, the inflatable slide or the face painting.

It was the people.

The volunteers weren't simply serving dinner. They were listening. They weren't checking off a task list. They were investing in relationships that may one day become the bridge between someone realizing they need help and feeling safe enough to ask for it.

Summer of Hope continues each Thursday at 6 p.m. through Aug. 13 at Christ Covenant Baptist Church. Arena also credited Christ Covenant Baptist Church for opening its campus and providing the space for the weekly gatherings, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office for providing security and volunteer support, and Vigilant Hope for serving alongside Gate Beautiful throughout the summer.

The free program is open to the community, offering families an opportunity to enjoy a summer evening together while discovering resources, support and a community committed to showing up week after week.

Because sometimes hope begins with knowing that when you come back next Thursday, you'll see a familiar face, hear your name and realize you're no longer walking into a crowd—you're walking back to a community.

 (Photo: Gate Beautiful's Summer of Hope is held every Thursday at Christ Covenant Baptist Church from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Photos by Tiffany Haywood)