By Scott Rumpsa, Executive Director of Community Action House

What a year. Almost all of us have experienced loss to some degree this year. Since the onset of COVID-19 and resulting disruption, we’ve seen firsthand what many of us know—challenges like these fall heaviest on those least able to bear them. Fifty-one years ago, a group of community members committed to service and social justice founded Community Action House (CAH) as a community institution where people of all perspectives come together to welcome and serve our neighbors living on the margins. In short, we were created for times just like these. I’m grateful for their foresight, and humbled to be working with an incredible team of staff, volunteers, and supporters now, as a place of welcome and expanded service in a time of so much disruption.

Since March 16 of last year, our services have been called on as never before. Thousands of neighbors have relied on us for the first time. Our Community Kitchen now provides 140+ takeaway meals daily. Our Food Pantry provides well over 8,000 meals worth of groceries every week. Our Outreach team has helped house 34 people in the last 10 months, and continues providing partnership, counsel, and support to a growing caseload of more than 70 neighbors experiencing homelessness. Our Resource Navigation team and Financial Wellness teams likewise have adjusted and expanded their offerings to meet the moment, serving new guests and addressing new challenges.

And as a locally funded institution, all of this work is dependent on an incredible local network of support. Hope Church was one of our founding church partners back in 1969. That partnership has continued over the years, and I’m so glad to say thank you for all the ways Hope Church as an institution and as individuals has shown up with CAH since last March. So many of you have helped by donating family food boxes, through your volunteer efforts, and through your generous financial support that we’ve relied on to expand all we do. Our relationship with Hope Church is truly special. It runs deep, and our shared values of a radically welcoming and inclusive service have been a part of that since our founding.

Coming in 2021
So much has changed, and we’re adjusting our services to best support our community through this crisis and into a period of rebuilding beyond. As Hope Church has stood with us throughout our 51-year history, I want to share about a few new initiatives that we’re launching this year.

Our Financial Wellness team is launching two new programs this winter. One establishes a new volunteer income tax assistance pathway to help low income filers maximize their Earned Income Tax Credit (particularly important in a year when employment disruptions plus EITC-focused legislative change make this more complex), which can make up to a third of a low-income family’s annual income. The second is a Savings Club approach to building Emergency Savings accounts. Enrolled guests will work together with a small cohort, and be provided with a two-to-one match to target turning a regular savings effort into $400+ in emergency reserves.

But an even bigger new effort in 2021 is the culmination of a big community campaign that’s been ongoing since October 2019. On March 1, we begin the renovation of a new facility at the corner of 8th and Paw Paw, where we’ll open our “Food Club” (target opening in September 2021). Food Club is a proven, innovative model of food assistance that offers greatly expanded service, with wider impact, greater efficiency, and a much more welcoming and guest-centered experience. Essentially, this model switches from our current Food Pantry mode of food assistance to a more inviting grocery-store-style space, with expanded hours and enhanced focus on choice, especially of healthy, perishable foods. We’ve been working a long time on this effort, and with all that’s happened over the past 10+ months, we believe it’s even more aligned with our community’s needs. Hope Church has been with us throughout our 51 years, and we hope and trust that our partnership will continue to strengthen in the years to come as we lean into ever more welcoming and effective modes of service. You can learn more about our Food Club effort at https://www.hzfoodclub.org/.

I’m always glad to share more with anyone—especially my fellow Hope Church members! Please get in touch at srumpsa@communityactionhouse.org anytime. Thank you again for all you each do for our community, through your gifts of time and resources, as well as through your advocacy as we all seek a more just, inclusive, and welcoming community where everyone has what they need to thrive.