At the end of May 2016, we were surprised and overwhelmingly blessed by a $20,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. We look forward to purchasing a reliable box truck for the transporting of food to feed families.
Currently, we make multiple trips in a variety of vehicles, using loaned trailers, to pick up food donations. We pray away the rainy weather in hopes we can transport boxes of food without the cereal and other dry goods being soaked. Who wants soggy cereal?!!! Volunteers share their car spaces to help us transport. It’s amazing the variety of ways and trips we have taken with trucks, cars, SUV’s, and trailers to make it work. When a ministry feeds people and the amount of families needing food grows, He gives creative ways to make all the pick ups and deliveries possible.
Maybe it seems crazy to go to multiple places a week to rescue food, but nothing is crazy about rescuing food that will be thrown away and given to families in need while the food is still good. Nothing is crazy about giving local businesses a place to share their excess. Nothing is crazy about ordering fresh produce for families that need healthy options. And nothing is crazy about the meat we purchase at the food bank so we can give families the protein they need. The many trips around town is one step closer to a box of food being unpacked into someone’s fridge or pantry when they need a helping hand. We all need food and hopefully families feel extra special to know their food was gathered, purchased and sourced from a variety of places to give them the healthiest options possible. When the money is tight, families still need to eat healthy and care for their bodies.
Recently, part of a load came off one of the open trailers on Hwy 280. As you can imagine, we were scared that we had killed someone with a pallet of canned food. Community members graciously pulled over and helped one of our staff members clean up the mess. One stranger even asked how she could get involved and volunteer. The people of Birmingham are some of the best people in the world! At that time, we were praying the grant for the box truck would be approved to increase our efficiency, safety, and the ability to serve more families!
Today, we are approved for a grant and we are out shopping for a box truck. Lord willing, we won’t lose any more loads of food on the freeway, some pickups will only take one trip instead of two or three, we won’t find ourselves concerned about the weather damaging the food, and the volunteers needed can decrease time moving food so they can increase their time being with the families we serve!
A huge hooray and hearts full of gratitude to our friends at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.
“We know that many in our area are struggling to provide healthy meals for their families. The Grace Klein Community provides much needed assistance and we are glad to be able to partner with them by providing a grant to increase their reach. Children and families in our area will benefit because of the work of Grace Klein Community.” – James McCrary, Vice President of Programs