SUMMER
IMPACTreport 2022
HOW YOUR DONATIONS ARE CHANGING LIVES
thank you
for another incredible Summer Lunch program! For many children living in poverty, the free and reduced meals they receive during the school year are the only meals available to them. MUST Ministries has helped fill the hunger gap through its Summer Lunch Program for 27 years and now feeds 6,370 metro-Atlanta children in eight counties in just nine weeks. More children were fed this summer than any other summer in the program’s history. This year’s Summer Lunch was unlike any other as we faced challenges due to inflation, food shortages and a growing need. Generous donors helped to overcome those challenges through food donations, financial support and volunteer efforts to feed the children.
MUST annually serves 53,000 people in need MUST is in a position unlike any time before: more demand for food with less available, higher prices and few opportunities to buy in bulk plus more demand for housing with less availability, sky-high rent and constant evictions as rates increase.
“Our clients are in a perfect storm,” according to MUST Pres. and CEO Ike Reighard. “They can’t afford housing, gas, childcare and food. Many are working two jobs. They’re a reflection of what we are all experiencing, but they have fewer resources and options than most.” Never before has MUST taken care of so many in one 12-month period. “Countless clients who were once housed have faced steep rent increases and are now unsheltered. We used to host about 7 families in our former shelter, but today we have 14 families in the MUST Hope House and 40 families in hotels because we will not turn away children,” he said. MUST helped a record 42,030 food clients and 5,372 housing clients (unduplicated) from July 2021 to June 30, 2022, including more than 2.4 million pounds of food and 2,839 people in eviction prevention programs.
The economic environment has caused a higher demand for virtually everything. MUST is scrambling to provide the usual toiletry kits to families and taking untold requests from sites requesting the mobile food pantry, for instance. “Few people realize the breadth of MUST services,” Reighard stated, “and why we are so grateful for our volunteers, donors and partners. When you consider we provide senior food boxes, summer lunches, job coaching, toy shops, transportation passes, child care assistance, healthcare, prescription assistance, clothing, move-in kits, hygiene kits, hot meals, neighborhood pantries embedded in schools, outreach services to the unsheltered, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, hotel vouchers for families, eviction prevention, mental health referrals and so much more, you begin to understand why the demand is so outrageously high. “It’s like taking care of every basic need for every person in a city of 53,000. The beauty of a comprehensive organization, however, is that MUST has one of the highest success rates in the country. When we wrap our services around a person or family in need, they are much less likely to fall back into poverty.”
Fundraising events are essential to helping MUST Ministries house, feed, find employment and clothe more than 50,000 of our neighbors in need. Here is a look at some of our most recent events and future opportunities to help MUST fulfill its mission to eradicate homelessness. MUST Gi vi ng Gal a MUST Ministries celebrated 50 years of miracles with its Heart of Gold Giving Gala, held at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel Ballroom. Nearly 600 MUST supporters attended the gala, which welcomed Kevin and Taylor from the Kevin & Taylor Show on 104.7 The FISH as its emcees, a silent and live auction and a special gold theme to celebrate the nonprofit’s 50th “golden” anniversary.
Che r o ke e G o l f To ur n a m e n t The Kazrus Charity Golf Tournament benefiting MUST on May 2 at Woodmont Country Club in Canton was a hole-in-one fundraiser! The annual golf tournament welcomed 180 golfers and helped to raise more than $58,000 for MUST programs in Cherokee.
C obb Gol f Tournament Grab your clubs and some friends for the Ron Godwin Golf Tournament benefiting MUST on Sept. 12! The annual golf tournament will once again be hosted at the Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw and features a silent auction, two flights, meals and plenty of fun. To register and find more information, visit mustministries.org/golf.
M UST D a n c e The MUST Dance celebrity dancers were on the move this summer, helping to raise nearly $112,000 for our neighbors in need at the 2022 MUST Dance! Dan Garcia (C.W. Matthews Contracting Co.) and Jim Glover (Atlanta Fine Homes Sothebys International Realty) helped to raise more than $60,000 combined, with Dan honored as the Mirror Ball Winner. Ollie Patterson (Ollie Patterson Music Co.) took home the Judges’ Choice Award for best dance and Kathryn Ruff (Catalyst 21) won People’s Choice for her rendition of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from “Mary Poppins.” Other generous dancers included Farrah Dale (Credit Union of Georgia) and Ashbelle Pierre (Piedmont Church).
Gobbl e J og reg i stratio n i s now op en! Join MUST Ministries this Thanksgiving Day to celebrate 20 years of racing against poverty! Since 2002, families from all over the world have come together on the Marietta Square to run in the Marietta Daily Journal MUST Ministries Gobble Jog, one of the largest Thanksgiving Day races in the country. The annual event raises funds for our neighbors in need who come to MUST for housing, food, job assistance, clothing and more. This year, MUST has helped more than 53,000 people across eight metro Atlanta counties find a second chance at hope. Sign up and form a team by visiting gobblejog.org
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U. S. POSTAGE
PAID MARIETTA, GA 30061 PERMIT NO. 93
1407 Cobb Parkway North | P.O. Box 1717 Marietta, GA 30061 | 770-427-9862 For more information, volunteer application, online financial donations and a lists of needs:
www.mustministries.org
ARE YOU CONNECTED?
After nearly three years of experiencing periodic homelessness, Dione came to MUST Ministries this summer looking for help. Because of her diligence in finding a job as a care giver and MUST’s guidance through our workforce development program, she now has multiple job offers and is on the path to success. “I took a one-way bus ride to MUST Ministries and was accepted into the MUST Hope House that day. I heard some of the other girls on the single women’s wing talk about MUST’s workforce development program and they said if you go in and be serious about it, you can get a job and be successful.
empowered and employed
FRO M HO ME LE S SNESS TO
I took advantage of that. I came in and met Mrs. Porter. She sat beside me the first day I was here and helped me look for jobs. She suggested I do the resume training with Mr. Lee. When I did that, it was awesome. I was able to update my resume and started getting some leads. I could tell when I came in everyday, they were happy to see me so that made me want to come back each day. I wanted to continue my journey of looking for this work that I know I could do and be successful at. Homelessness is not a comfortable thing... it’s a scary thing. But when you come to a place like MUST, there are people that you can trust, that you could build a good relationship with and a good rapport. You just have to have an open mind. Come through the doors, listen and they’ll lead you the rest of the way.”
MUST Ministries is a nonprofit, faith-based organization helping people in your community break the cycle of poverty. MUST provides basic needs such as groceries, hot meals, housing, emergency shelter, healthcare clinics, workforce development, toy shops, children’s summer lunches and clothing. All services are free and provided without regard to income, race or religious beliefs. © 2022 IMPACT REPORT is a publication of MUST Ministries. All rights reserved.