| Name | Rickey |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Smith |
| Home Address | 225 N. Hickory St Chattanooga, TN 37404 United States |
| Organization Name | God's Abundant Grace Ministries |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | I am the founder and Executive Director of the ministry |
| Organization Address | 225 N Hickory St Chattanooga, TN 37404 United States |
| Website | https://hopefortheinnercity.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4234666539 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 9493103596 |
| Email Address | rickeysmith1946.rrs24@gmail.com |
| Alternate Email Address | anthony@hope4theinnercity.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | Summary God’s Abundant Grace Ministries is requesting funding for a new vehicle and more refrigeration to help the organization significantly increase its capacity to pick up the food donations it receives and deliver those food donations to the most vulnerable members of our community. In 2019, God’s Abundant Grace Ministries began when Rickey Smith decided to use his home to serve the homeless and most vulnerable people in the City of Chattanooga. As the Pandemic began to ramp up, Rickey would travel to homeless camps across the city, delivering meals from Alton Park to downtown to anyone who was out on the streets. From January to July of 2020, Rickey provided more than 6,000 meals to the homeless, cooking the meals out of his house in Orchard Knob. Once the homeless camp on Workman Rd was displaced, Rickey started providing food boxes to homeless and vulnerable people from his front porch, making sure that anyone who was in need of food assistance was going to receive it. He provided another 1000 food boxes from his home by the end of 2020. He continued providing food assistance from his home until October of 2021 when he moved his operation to Hope For the Inner City in East Chattanooga. The partnership has allowed God’s Abundant Grace Ministries to essentially double its distribution of food to needy individuals and families. The organization has recently incorporated and is seeking funding to grow the number of homeless and vulnerable people the organization can reach. The mission of God’s Abundant Grace Ministries is to feed and support the poor and homeless in Chattanooga, whoever they are, wherever they come from. Its vision is of a society where charities like God 's Abundant Grace are no longer necessary. To achieve its mission and realize its vision all the organization’s activities are underpinned by the following values : A commitment to respond to the specific needs of our poor and homeless citizens no matter how complex. We do not shy away from difficult cases that require extra perseverance, understanding and care. To work with each poor and homeless citizen as an individual, respecting their humanity and temporary powerlessness to sustain themselves. To help our poor and homeless citizens to realize the value of their life and the contribution they can make by simply choosing to survive . To foster and grow a community of volunteers built on commitment to care, understanding and mutual respect. God's Abundant Grace Ministries is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its homeless citizens, and volunteers . Understanding that tackling poverty and homelessness requires a grasp of complex problems and wrap-around solutions that must address the practical, emotional and social challenges that our poor and homeless citizens face; but to recognize that little can be addressed so long as a person is hungry. The mission, vision and values of God 's Abundant Grace have been consolidated into the following objectives : Health and wellbeing: to ensure each person in our feeding program receives the best possible food from donated resources Campaigning: raise awareness and explain issues of poverty and homelessness and also to influence faith based organizations of their responsibility to feed the poor and homeless Volunteering: building and supporting the local community through the creation of wide ranging and accessible volunteering opportunities . Sustainability: ensure the future of God t s Abundant Grace as an emergency feeding program in central Chattanooga by obtaining our own permanent premises Fundraising: raise funds to support our existing work and plans for the future. Details of Request God’s Abundant Grace Ministries has developed partnerships with Publix, Whole Foods, Gordon Food Service, the Community Kitchen, Starbucks, and Panera. Each of these businesses provide donations of food to prevent food waste that God’s Abundant Grace Ministries has been distributing to between 60-100 households each week. The ministry is in desperate need of funding for a more suitable vehicle to pick up this food from the various locations and more refrigeration to store the growing amount of produce, meat, and dairy items received. Through partnership with Hope For the Inner City, God’s Abundant Grace Ministries has ample space for refrigeration and a new vehicle. These two resources will instantly impact the organization’s ability to reach more hungry people more efficiently. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | God’s Abundant Grace Ministries was started to address the negative economic impacts caused by the pandemic, particularly the economic harm the growing number of Chattanooga’s homeless and vulnerable face daily. The Pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income communities of color in our city, forcing many residents into homelessness. God’s Abundant Grace Ministries is on the frontlines, providing critical resources to those who are in greatest need. |
| Where would your project take place? | 225 N Hickory Street and 1800 Roanoke Ave, Chattanooga |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 50000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | July 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 3 months |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Increase in the number of individuals receiving assistance Growth in the number of food donation partners Growth in the number of food boxes distributed Growth in staff and volunteers utilized to meet the needs of the community |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | God’s Abundant Grace Ministries functions in partnership with a host of businesses and organizations it relies upon heavily to accomplish its work. It operates out of Hope For the Inner City’s building. It must sign for all of the food donations it receives from its business partners. The community relies upon the organization daily to deliver critical resources to them. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | The homeless and vulnerable members of our community are completely isolated from the economic and civic life of our city. They have very few places to go to receive the resources necessary for their survival and have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. God’s Abundant Grace Ministries has proven its ability to redirect future food waste to people in our city in desperate need of food. It is the vision of Rickey Smith (founding director of the ministry) to not only feed the hungry but provide a haven for them as well to begin walking the path back toward connection and hope. Mr. Smith is equipped to do this work. He has defeated homelessness in his own life and has devoted his years to helping others do the same. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | God’s Abundant Grace Ministries already has community buy in for its services. The organization is seeking funding because the demand for its services have outpaced its current capacity to meet the demand from both the businesses and organizations that are providing the food donations and the individuals and families that desperately need the assistance, particularly single moms, seniors raising children, veterans, and the disabled. |
| Name | Anthony Watkins |
| Contact Information | anthony@hope4theinnercity.org |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | |