A "Fair" Way to End Hunger

Desert Tortoise

Pictured on the right is a turtle we still see out here in the Antelope Valley, or could see if we ventured out into some of the more remote areas of the desert.  Living in dens under the ground these massive reptiles sit at the top of a slide, enjoying our cloudless skies, hot temperatures, and desert plants, always ready to propel themselves forward, tuck in their legs, and slide down into the protection of their den if threatened.  Like many of the reptiles that live in this part of the country they are fascinating.

My tortoise friend and I would like to invite everyone to participate in this year's Antelope Valley Fair.  The theme, as you can see, is Cherry Jammin'!  Displays, crafts, animal husbandry, concerts, rides, great food and great fun can be had by all.  Yet there is something very special about this event I would like to share.  The Antelope Valley Fair is participating in A "Fair" Way to End Hunger, an effort to help feed the hungry people that live in our fair valley.  $1 of every $6 Pre-Fair Admission Ticket sold will be given to Grace Resource Center.  You may not be aware that Grace Resource Center feeds 1,500 people a week through four hot family style meals and emergency grocery programs.  Because Grace Resource Center also now operates the Lancaster Emergency Shelter we feed an average of 90 people a day 2 hot nutritious meals, adding up to 1,260 meals per week!  This program will help us feed the hungry in the Antelope Valley, and we are grateful for help!

If you purchase the pre-fair admission tickets you save $3 per ticket, because starting the day of the fair (8/17) the tickets will cost $9 at the gate!  Plus, if you buy two $6 Pre-Fair Admission tickets you can get one free Fair Coupon Book (while supplies last) with over $55 in savings on food, carnival rides, and games!  Albertsons, Vallarta, and Vons Supermarkets are selling the tickets.  Tickets are also on sale at the AV Fair cart at the AV Mall and at the AV Fair Box office.  Grace Resource Center has tickets for sale as well!  Here at Grace Resource Center we are very excited to participate with the AV Fairgrounds in this endeavor.  Would you like to know a little secret? One out of every four children in the Antelope Valley go to bed hungry!  It costs Grace Resource Center a little over $100,000 a month to keep our doors open and provide the services we provide for those who are homeless, near homeless, the working poor, and families struggling financially on a daily basis.  We need your help.

Very few people realize all that goes on at Grace Resource Center.  We are busy targeting the root causes of hunger, poverty, child abuse, domestic violence, and crime.  Through the grace and mercy of our loving Savior and Lord Jesus we meet real needs with a touch of grace.

Our POWER class is a free life-management course based on the acronym Personal growth, Order, Wisdom, Ethics, and Relationships.  Graduates of this class know how to set healthy boundaries, to use their gifts, talents, and abilities, organize their lives through budgeting money and time, and exhibit good anger management skills.

POWER 2 is A Guide to Linear Thinking, Writing, and Learning, a free job and education readiness course.  Graduates understand the five registers of every language, and especially how to communicate in formal register, the language of business and education.  They build vocabulary, write complete sentences, and correctly use the 8 parts of speech.  Those who complete this course also identify their social style and how they relate with the other three social styles.  A section on becoming a good and productive citizen borrows wisdom from our Founding Fathers.  Writing poetry and paragraphs is a skill developed during the class.

We also offer a free computer class that is a two-part curriculum.  Part one is beginning keyboarding, concentrating on getting students up to speed on the keyboard and basic operating system commands and controls of an office PC.  Part two is all about computers in the office and graduates are skilled and proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, and other office applications.  They learn how to edit text, format, manage files, manipulate office documents and spreadsheets, create a resume and cover letter and much more!

Grace Resource Center is the lead agency in the Child Abuse Prevention Initiative Demonstration Project, working with 45 partner agencies (faith-based, community-based, and government agencies) to prevent child abuse in the Antelope Valley.  We also were asked to spearhead efforts to create Family Visitation Centers and a Safe Child Custody Exchange.  Thirty families who are working hard to reunite with their children are in our program.  Family Court has ordered monitored visits, and those parents meet their children in a Neighborhood Impact House with our trained and certified family coaches for visits up to three hours in length, free of charge.

This month we gave out 200 backpacks loaded with school supplies to needy families.  In the winter we have our Warm Hearts Warm Coats program giving out gently used used coats, hats, mittens, and gloves.  Our Graceful Christmas program hands out toys to hundreds of needy families, and we do that at our Christmas in July fundraiser too.  Last year we passed out 2,200 Thanksgiving baskets feeding nearly 10,000 people a complete Thanksgiving dinner.  We also served Thanksgiving dinner here at Grace, and Christmas dinner on Christmas day.  And the list goes on!

Now many people, when it comes to the poor and hungry in the Antelope Valley are a little like my Desert Tortoise friend.  They tend to tuck in their heads and feet and slide into a safe place where they don't have to see the reality of the need.  Many others come here daily to volunteer to help feed the hungry and meet real needs with a touch of grace.  If every member of my church volunteered just four hours a month, one hour a week, imagine what we could do!  Imagine what we could do if people from every evangelical church in the Antelope Valley showed up to volunteer one hour a week!  Wow!  It's true, we need financial support.  But we also need bodies, and not just any body.  We need people who know how to love other people with unconditional love, just like Jesus.  Think about it.