Hello Everyone!

We had a record year in 2011 in terms of serving families for Thanksgiving and Christmas!  We had just under 500 families signed up to receive our Holiday Meal Bag and your donations made it happen!

There are so many great things going on here and we are ready to bust wide open this year!
We have found our new home and will be moving mid September!  Our new address is 4395 Commerce Drive, Buford.  Watch for news about our Grand Opening Celebration!

We have been working with a documentary film maker/producer/director about the changing face of need in the suburbs.  The idea is that homelessness is no longer the person sleeping under a bridge in the inner city.  Her film idea is being looked at by HBO for a documentary piece and a large part will be about our Co-op and our families in need!   The film crew ran with me for almost six days.  They shot in the building, then we went into homes of several of our families who were willing to share their stories. I, too, shared mine.   We were in the woods finding camps of those who get put out of extended stays with no where else to go.  They filmed in the back of an 18 wheeler where one of our Dad’s was living with his 10 year old son and 3 ½ year old daughter until we put them in an extended stay.  They slept on a mattress from the house they used to own and when it got too cold, they moved to the sleeper cab where Dad ran an extension cord to a nearby building where he could plug in a heater.  They all slept on a twin mattress there.  We heard of how our families who once owned homes and had 401K’s now need our services.  What I learned is that I have been behind the desk too long and we have the power to move from being a band-aid agency to a LIFE CHANGING agency.  I learned that while we provide a much needed service to so many families, there are those who NEED us to bridge critical gaps while they get on their feet perhaps waiting for a first paycheck or getting through a critical illness.  Standing behind a camera and watching as a Dad tells that his 16 year old son is home schooled because he doesn’t want him getting on a bus from a hotel parking lot where 30 other kids who have homes will taunt and bully him just for being poor was a real eye opener for me!  We, as a community, have the COMPASSION, RESOURCES and POWER to implement real change for these families during difficult times!

Please stay on board with us on this journey and be a part of something REALLY BIG as we bring about LIFE CHANGES while we humbly serve in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We are at a CROSSROADS  and need each of you to commit yourselves, however you can, to being a part of this LIFE CHANGES campaign!

Right now we need your support with food drives and financial donations!  The foods most needed are:  canned meats, rice, pasta, sauces, mac n cheese, canned fruit, cereal, peanut butter and jelly, soups and toiletries.  Financial donations can be made through our PAYPAL account or by mail to P.O. Box 672. , Buford , Ga 30518 .

Thank you all for your ongoing support and stay tuned for GREAT things ahead for the North Gwinnett Co-Operative Ministries AND our community!

Blessings.

Maureen Kornowa
Executive Director
North Gwinnett Co-Operative Ministries, Inc.