TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN — GAP Ministries has been serving those in need within the Tucson community since 1999. Just as the northside nonprofit is preparing for a significant facility upgrade, it was hit with major monsoon storm damage in mid-July.
While GAP Ministries continues to recover, KGUN 9 is supporting its mission with our August Giving Project.
"What we're doing right now is repairing these two main structures," Development Director Tiane Kennedy said of the damage, two days after the storm.
Straight-line winds tore the roof and skylights off of the main building that houses the GAP Ministries kitchen, causing more than $250,000 in damage.
"I'm just very, very grateful that nobody was hurt," Co-Founder Greg Ayers tells me.
Greg Ayers and his wife Pam founded GAP Ministries 25 years ago, creating a nonprofit with the mission of helping foster kids and feeding those in need in Tucson.
And they're still going strong—even the storm and ensuing damage didn't put the mission on pause: After the Sunday storm, staff and volunteers had GAP Ministries open that Monday morning.
"We did not stop serving the community," said Ayers. We did not stop giving out food, we didn't stop making meals."
Fast-forward to several weeks after the storm, GAP Ministries continues to serve Tucsonans through its Community Warehouse, distributing millions of pounds of food and produce each year—and through its kitchen—preparing 100,000 meals each year for those in need.
Now, as GAP Ministries approaches its 25th anniversary, they're starting a project this month to expand their kitchen.
"We believe we're going to be able to triple our capacity, at least, at a minimum," said Ayers.
He says the new kitchen will expand their reach to more seniors and to address food insecurity in many Tucson neighborhoods. While they are starting construction of the new kitchen this month, they're still about $150,000 shy of the money needed.
"We really need the community to step up and help us get that project completed," Ayers told me.
The goal is to have the new kitchen finished for their 25th anniversary celebration in November.
"Looking back at all the children we've helped, and all the mouths we have fed, and all the people who have gotten services from us, it's going to be a great celebration."
You can help GAP Ministries with their repairs and with the construction of their new kitchen by donatingdirectly to the nonprofit at their website here.
Your Giving Project donation qualifies for Arizona's charitable tax credit.
Our partners in the giving project, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, will again match the first $500 in donations.
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