They've been called "the angels of the city" and one man was successful in burning down their headquarters but on Thursday night, the group behind Newberry's "Blessed Hope" made it clear- they're not losing this battle.

"Everyone says 'your prayers get to heaven faster,' no I just bother Him more," said Evelyn McKoy, better known as "Ms. Evelyn" and the charity's president.

She says "Blessed Hope" has been running on faith.

"We are still feeding people and that's what we want to do," she said.

Without the thrift store's income, the ministry is feeding a thousand people every month with a little over four hundred dollars.

"The city like all cities right now, is in the middle of a recession, is not awash with money," said Mayor Bill Conrad.

On Thursday, the cash-strapped organization met with city leaders to discuss its' future.

"Blessed Hope is still alive even though they've burned down, and the biggest thing we need is a facility," he said.

Ms. Evelyn brought the good news.

"We need donations so we can buy this property," she said.

A local property owner has agreed to sell the group an abandoned church off Highway 27.

"Real convenient for the people in Newberry to come get food because we can't get too far out because lots of people that we feed has to walk," she said.

But the old church and three-quarter-acre lot it sits on comes with a price tag of sixty thousand dollars, and McKoy says the charity is broke.

So the group has decided to amp up its fund raising efforts, forming committees and making plans to get the word out about their small town charity-- in need of a home and hope.

"How can we be a testimony, if we don't have a test- and we have to have a test of waiting, being patient, not understanding this, not understanding that-- but we know that He has the plan," she said.

Donations can be made to the "Blessed Hope Foundation of Newberry" at any Capitol City Bank.