help for the hungry and hurting

Calling all friends of Grateful Hearts! 

As many of you know, the building Grateful Hearts had been renting was purchased by a local hospital to house a cardiology unit.  For the last four years it had been the home to our food bank, clothing and furniture distribution centers, and our thrift store.  The sale of the building necessitated a hurried, huge, and costly move for our hard working non-profit. 

As a result, it took just about everything we had to relocate.  As of this date, Grateful Hearts is very thankful to have found temporary housing at Frieda's Specialty Produce in Los Alamitos. We are currently sub-leasing a space for our food storage, work area, and refrigeration space.   Although there is no area for food distribution on-site at Frieda's, we are grateful to be able to continue our food distribution to those in need through our "Mobile Food Bank" three times weekly in the parking lot of Cottonwood Church. We are still delivering food to our elderly shut-ins, and distributing to Veterans and Mental Health facilities from our space at Frieda's.  At this point we are still operating to fulfill our vision, but without our own facility, serving has become much more difficult.

We are now facing new challenges in this season, as well as the ones we face on a regular basis.  Without the thrift store we have no revenue stream to count on.  This is just a small sampling of what we are facing currently (and regularly):

Food retrieval trucks are in need of repair
Warehouse rental fees (foodbank & offsite storage facility)
Insurance bills (work comp; liability, auto; etc.)
Salaries & wages
Utilities
Fuel Costs 

In spite of these challenges we have not ceased from doing all that we can to assist the hurting. 

GHS has always been a ministry that has had to trust God for its resources every single day.  We have never had a “rainy day” bank account.  This particular season has multiplied the financial challenges we face.  Raising finances has never been what drives my heart; seeing hurting people receiving help and hope does.  But I do realize it takes money to keep this ministry operating.  I have always invited people to support what we do, but I have never made a plea for help.  Friends, this is a plea for your help.  I am calling on our caring and compassionate friends to help support GHS in our time of need.  I am asking for you to give the best gift you can to Grateful Hearts.

When I returned home from a missions trip to Nicaragua, I came upon this life-changing scripture in Proverbs 31:8. 

"Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all those who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy."

I believe this is my call, and the call of GHS…to be a voice.  Will you add your voice to mine?

Together for the hurting,

Blair

P.S.  Share this page with your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers!  Better yet, create your own fundraising page for GHS!  And here’s a little factoid to help motivate you.  Children make up over half of the population of food-insecure people in our own county.  Together with your help, we can help insure that children will get to eat breakfast before they go to school, and eat dinner before they go to bed.  I sincerely hope that you will consider joining our fundraising efforts for the hurting.