A Bit of Encouragement

Early April Highlights

• 200+ lunches provided daily alongside the Ginger Beasley Foundation
• Zoom calls established for parents and kids to provide emotional support and structure needed to keep kids on track in school
• Raised over $82,000 for COVID relief to-date thanks to generous supporters like you

A story from the front lines at Roseland

"Early on Thursday morning, a mom from our community walked by with her six kids after walking the entire family up to Spence Middle School to get some food because they don’t have a car. When she saw us outside of the center passing out lunches, her face lit up and she started to express how much of a blessing the lunches we’ve provided have been to her family. She shared that the benefits for her kids didn’t come through this month, so the food that she is able to receive from the school and then from Behind Every Door at her apartment complex help her better ration what she has available to give her kids. She wasn’t sure what she was going to feed her family until we knocked on her door last week.

Then, as I was getting ready to leave the center I was called over by another mom in our community. She has been so touched by what we are doing in feeding the children of Roseland and staying connected that she said when she gets her food stamps next week she is going to donate some food items that we can give other families that might need it. At first I told her that wasn’t necessary because she mentioned a few times that she only gets a small amount in food stamps and I could tell it was going to be a big sacrifice for her. But then she said that’s what God put on my heart to do and I have to be obedient to God and be a blessing back.

I share these two stories because as I walk the streets of Roseland I feel like I’m literally watching God move in the hearts and minds of people. I’m seeing God use Behind Every Door to be the answer to people’s prayers for provision. I’m seeing people who have been stressed trying to find basic needs like toilet paper and soap praise God when one of our staff members let’s them know we got them covered. Yes, I love all the things that we normally do in the center but in this season I’m starting to see what we do in a whole new light. It’s such a ripe time for relationship building and establishing presence in the communities that we are in because a lot of the other things we do are on hold right now. I think about how Jesus often met physical needs first of the people He was ministering to and I already know that the work we are doing in this season although different is setting us up for what God wants to do next and growing our reach to more families in the community."

- Cierra Cotton, Community Director at The Rose

Love Your Neighbor Boxes

In addition to providing daily lunches, we're providing basic food supplies to our families who do not have resources to deal with the challenges facing all of us during this crisis. We'd like to invite you and your families to join us in providing basic supplies through Love Your Neighbor Boxes!

After talking with residents in the community, the following items are suggested for each box:

• 1 bag of oatmeal
• 2 cans of black beans
• 2 cans of green beans
• 2 cans of sweet corn
• 2 cans of mixed vegetables
• 1 container of salt
• 1 box of cereal
• 1 loaf of bread
• 2 cans of soup
• 2 cans of tomato sauce
• 1 bag of dried pinto beans
• 1 bag of yellow cornmeal
• 1 container of powdered milk
• 2 bags of rice
  
• 4 packages of Ramen noodles
• 1 jar of peanut butter
• 1 container of jelly
• 2 packs of spaghetti/pasta
• 1 bag of sugar
• 1 bag of all-purpose flour
• 1 package of pancake mix
• 2 boxes of macaroni & cheese
  

How to get your boxes to our families:

Purchase items and deliver to our Community Center at Roseland. This could be a great activity for you to do as a family! You can even include an encouraging note in your box if you'd like!

Time: Tuesday/Thursday, 11 AM – 2 PM
Drop Off: 1949 N. Washington Avenue, 75204

Go to our Amazon Wish List or Target Registry and purchase any item to be shipped directly to our corporate office.

Delivery: 2824 Swiss Ave, 75204

Make a donation and we will build a box in honor of your family! Simply go to our GoFundMe page to donate. Love Your Neighbor Boxes cost around $50 each.

Thank You

From the bottoms of our hearts, THANK YOU so much for your continued and expanded support of our ministry. We are able to keep our incredible staff, innovate new ways to virtually support our families, and continue planting roots in the Cedar Crest community all because of your generosity and prayers. Thank you!