Over the years, GBM has been blessed with strong supportive relationships with individuals, congregations, organizations, families, businesses and agencies. So often the relationships become so close that it feels like the partners are simply part of GBM. Sometimes when that happens, we forget to recognize them in our lists of supporters. Following our last newsletter, which also served as an annual report for 2009, several of our loving partners mentioned the omissions. We at GBM are very sorry for these omissions and would like to mention here some of those long standing relationships that help and sustain us, but that were omitted previously.
Regarding food donations, each week for many years, a group of volunteers from Canterbury United Methodist Church swings by Panera Bread Company to pick up day-old items and brings them to GBM Thursday for us to include in the grocery bags distributed to families every Friday morning. We are grateful for Panera’s willingness to donate items to those in need. Panera also donates items on other days to Magic City Harvest. These are picked up by a group of volunteers in the Jewish Community known as The Bread Brigade. Hats off to the people at Panera for their social consciousness and active partnerships in the community.
Another organization with whom we partner is Magic City Harvest. We receive weekly food donations from them to include in our food bags for Friday distribution. We are grateful for their hard work collecting perishable foods from around the area and distributing them where the needs are great. Grow Alabama is another organization which graciously donates excess foods during large harvests for distribution to our clients.
Another regular donor is Golden Flake from whom we receive chips, pretzels, and assorted other items for inclusion in the bags we distribute. Over the years GBM has also received gracious gifts of food items from Miracle Deliverance Temple. Bishop James Johnson often purchases large quantities of food items to distribute to many food pantries in the area. GBM is always grateful for the cereal, yogurt and assorted other food items. Our clients and those of many other organizations are blessed by his faithful service to the hungry. We apologize for the exclusion of Panera Bread, Magic City Harvest, Golden Flake and Miracle deliverance Temple in our last publication. Their ongoing support is much appreciated.
Clothing is another item we gratefully receive from long-term partners. A few we mentioned in the last publication include Zoe’s of Forest Park, It’s Fashion in Tuscaloosa, CitiTrends, and Little Soles in Cahaba Heights. We regret the omission of Korduroy Krocodile in Homewood and Kids in Distressed Situations (KIDS) in New York. The former donates quite regularly to our clothes closet, and the latter sends us at least one large shipment per year of items for kids of all ages. We also receive gracious discounts from The Pants Store on clothes, including school uniforms. In addition, Mothers & Babies Nutrition, Inc., has blessed GBM and our clients with donations of clothing and infant formula for many years now. In addition, we received funds for school uniforms from the Karim Abdul Raheem El-Amin, Jr. Foundation. We and our clients are always grateful for donated clothing.
In addition to the food and clothing donated by long-standing partners, there are other partners who work with us to help meet the financial needs of those who come to our door. Oak Mountain Missions Ministry, Inc., whom we regretfully ommitted in our last issue, often assists our clients financially when our limited funds are depleted. They also help some of our clients with food, clothing and furniture. Thanks!!
We are ever grateful for all our sustaining partnerships.