MAY UPDATE
From the Board Chair

Greetings friends,

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. GAP has been the recipient of many blessings this month. Downtown Cooperative Church Ministries has donated hundreds of pounds of bread and baked goods. Vineyard Pantry provided 6 large boxes of produce. We received a generous donation of 10 well maintained bicycles for us to start a new ministry program, Wheels of Change. Our prescription assistance program signed on with Genoa Healthcare Pharmacy as another pharmacy to serve our clients.

Praise Him all creatures here below. As you look at our service numbers this month, you will see an increase due to the increase in the number of new clients and the fact that we were open 5 weeks in May. We continue each week to register new clients for food, diapers, products and services. This month we had 1268 families choose groceries from our food pantry and 546 people received a walking bag of sandwiches, water and other items. Our sandwich makers prepared 1092 sandwiches this month. Our nurses helped 305 people with their prescription and heath assistance needs. Our 3 photo ID volunteers took 50 people to the DDS with 43 of these people receiving a photo ID.  The photo ID can change a person’s standing; now they can apply for jobs and secure housing. The birth certificate volunteers saw 202 people this month. They gave 70 people their birth certificate and sent off 84 applications. Our health hygiene programs were also very busy. A week’s worth of diapers were given to 783 people. The majority of these are size 5 diapers. The adult incontinence volunteers handed out 325 packs of adult diapers. The period products program saw 208 ladies receive what they needed for the month. We love our clients and have great appreciation of our many volunteers. 

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. We are excited about our new porch and ADA compatible ramp project on the Ellis Street side of the building. When completed our clients will have an easier and safer access to the building. Construction began June 5th and is expected to be completed in mid-August. Our flow of traffic will be impacted during these 2 ½ months with clients and volunteers entering through the doors on Greene Street. However, we have experienced these challenges before during COVID so we know everyone will be patient and helpful. We are making special accommodations for those who will not be able to enter the building by the steps. 

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Lola Bell