For foster parents, kinship foster parents and others in need of assistance, GAP Ministries seeks to fill in the gaps that have resulted from the pandemic.
Since last October, the nonprofit has offered “sponsored” — or free — shopping for basic necessities including diapers, baby products, linens, pillows, furniture, clothing, hygiene products and more through its Community Impact Warehouse, 2861 N. Flowing Wells Road. It also distributes free food boxes when available during its hours of operation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday except Tuesday. Social distancing and other health and safety rules are followed .
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to open the warehouse up not only to the clients of our nonprofit partners and to foster, adoptive and kinship families, but to people with an Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System card and to refugees as well as to seniors age 65 and older. They can come in and shop once a month for basic needs with a voucher that we provide for them free of charge,” said Tiane Kennedy, development director for GAP Ministries.
A majority of the products at the warehouse are new; many are overstock, returns and scratch-and-dent goods procured through a partnership with Good 360, which transfers items from partners such as Target, Walmart, and other retailers.
Vouchers range from $25 for refugees, seniors and those with AHCCCS cards to $40 for licensed foster parents and clients of almost 50 Community Impact Warehouse sponsors including Interfaith Community Services, Old Pueblo Community Services, Compass Affordable Housing and numerous churches; kinship foster parents have a sponsored limit of $80 while foster and kinship case managers receive unlimited vouchers.
Kennedy said the items in the warehouse are priced extremely low to boost “buying power.”
“Items like ibuprofen cost 10 cents and most clothing costs $1. You may get a $25 voucher, but it is like having $250. Things are priced so low that you receive two or three or 10 times the value of the voucher,” Kennedy said.
To further help those in need, the warehouse frequently distributes food boxes containing nonperishables and fresh meat, dairy and vegetables when available. More than 40,000 food boxes have been distributed to as many as 200 families weekly since last June.
“We felt it was the right thing to open the warehouse up to people in need and it has been really helpful to so many families who are struggling. If they show up here during the hours posted and show their AHCCCS card or foster care licensing or other information, we do what we can to help them,” Kennedy said.
For more information, call GAP at 877-8077 or send an email to info@gapmin.
