Legacies A publication of the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana
Inside This Issue
Foundation Grants: The Path to Yes! Page 2
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FOUNDATION GRANTS:
Center of Hope Offers More than Hope
by Rebecca Herin Communications Intern
The challenges of the 2020 pandemic provided new ways for Foundation grants to support ministry in Louisiana. In April 2020, just a few weeks after our world shut down, the Foundation’s grants committee designated $100,000 for creative ways to support evangelism, mission and outreach. In Tangipahoa Parish, Beth Lafargue, who had worked with the Louisiana Annual Conference as a disaster case manager, heard about the Foundation’s unique ministry grants. Her dream of starting a nonprofit to help the financially insecure population in her community immediately came to mind. She contacted her pastor, Rev. Drew Sutton, of First UMC, Hammond; Rev. Jessica Lowe of First UMC, Ponchatoula; and Rev. Sam Hubbard of the Southeastern University Wesley Foundation, and together they applied for the grant that would help them start the nonprofit that Lafargue had only imagined: Center of Hope. As Lafargue said, “I thought to myself, ‘What? Start a nonprofit in the midst of a pandemic?’ But the opportunity, via the grant, was right there.”
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Through previous work and a little research, these four discovered that Tangipahoa Parish has a median household income of $45,900 and a poverty rate of 21.9% – twice as high as neighboring St. Tammany Parish. Although Tangipahoa Parish had food banks and disaster assistance programs, no programs existed to help individuals navigate their way to self-sufficiency.
Beth Lafargue, center, with the resale shop manager and assistant manager.
There were many ideas for the grant money awarded. However, Lafargue knew they needed ongoing revenue to fund their ministry ideas. That’s when Lafargue began forming the Center of Hope Resale Shop. The Center of Hope Resale Shop opened its doors at 1111 W. Morris Ave. in Hammond in October 2020. Lafargue found discounted store fixtures at local store closing sales that create a boutiquelike environment, and the community donates merchandise. Profits from the shop are used to help guide individuals in Tangipahoa back to self-sufficiency. Center of Hope also provides financial support to other organizations in Hammond, such as a community garden at First Christian Church and the mayor’s back-to-school backpack program. They also work with the Hammond Fire Department to provide clothing and household items for fire survivors. If your church or ministry has a unique idea for a beneficial way to use a grant, read the article on the next page to find out how to apply.