Starting in July, GraceWorks will move to a mobile services model in Fairview to serve more families experiencing poverty.
“The board and the CEO have restructured our service model and believe this restructuring will enable GraceWorks to serve more people and pour more funds into the Fairview community,” a formal statement from the GraceWorks Board of Directors and CEO says.
GraceWorks West will move out of its current location at 2382 Fairview Blvd. June 30. Residents will still obtain food through plans to increase mobile food pantries from an average five per year to initially more than 12 annually. These mobile pantries may also include Hickman and other surrounding counties.
“An expansion of mobile food pantries will allow us to feed more people in a four-hour day than what we have been able to feed in a month with a physical site,” said GraceWorks CEO Valencia Breckenridge.
A few key aspects of the change:
- GraceWorks West will move out of the current location at 2382 Fairview Boulevard, Fairview, TN 37062.
- GraceWorks plans to dramatically increase their Mobile Food Pantry from averaging 5 a year in Fairview to possibly up to 24 a year which may include Hickman and other surrounding counties. This mobile model is in response to the great need for food as demonstrated by the number of requests at GraceWorks West as well as the high attendance at the Mobile Food Pantries. An expansion of Mobile Food Pantries will allow GraceWorks to feed more people in a four hour day than what they have been able to feed in a month with a physical site.
- Because GraceWorks wants to continue to address the other needs of neighbors in Fairview and surrounding communities, they are looking for a church or business partner to lend GraceWorks a small office space the first week of each month for in order for GraceWorks to administer rent and utility assistance during this critical time when they are typically due. As is currently the case, GraceWorkers will provide this portion of Neighbor Services.
- GraceWorks will sustain its Fuel Bag program to the Fairview schools.
- GraceWorks will continue to work on other ideas that will increase the community’s access to GraceWorks services in Fairview. They expect to collaborate with Fairview volunteers, supporters, and community partners in designing this new outreach model.
“GraceWorks is still strongly committed to serving the neighbors of Fairview, and plan to more efficiently address the needs in this and surrounding communities. We have simply reexamined and redesigned our approach. Our goal is to spend less money on a building, and invest that money in a sustainable, lean, efficient model of service that reaches more Fairview residents in need. We ask you to pray with us as we make this transition. Pray that we see God’s vision throughout this process and that we serve our Fairview neighbors on a larger scale than we have in the past,” continues the statement.
