Though its records only date back to 1986,
Calvin Christian Reformed Church's Family Assistance program has been around since 1969, so it's now in its 45th year. However, with the number of Kent County families it has helped through its clothing ministry topping out at nearly 44,000 to date, the modest Eastown church boasts impressive numbers even without factoring in the 17 prior years of off-the-record assistance.
Bobbie Talsma is the director of the
Family Assistance program for Calvin CRC, which will begin construction for the 5,500-square-foot expansion of its clothing ministry center on Nov. 13. She says the larger space is needed to accommodate the growing outreach efforts of a program that saw a 20 percent increase in the volume of order requests from 2012-2013.
"The volume (of orders) went up 20 percent and this was enough to convince us that it was more than just a hunch, how deep the need is here, and that we are only scratching the surface," she says.
Reformed Church does not interact directly with the families for which it provides much-needed clothing like boots and jackets, Talsma says the ministry will take orders from caseworkers or social workers from any agency or organization with bonafide credentials, and she says they have also worked with representatives from organizations ranging from
Head Start to the Kent County Health Department.
"In Calvin Church's mission outreach ministry there are no questions asked from us to the caseworker," she says. "They have done their screening and when they place an order, their family is in need, and we fill that need to the best of our ability."
Designed by Dane Bode of
The Architectural Group, the expansion will afford the clothing ministry a 40-50 percent increase in storage space, separate designated donation and pickup areas, on-premise laundry facilities, a playroom for volunteers with children, and more accommodating open space to optimize the overall efficiency of the operation.
These are things that Talsma says will not only create avenues for otherwise would-be volunteers to donate their time, but will more importantly allow for the program to impact more Kent County families than ever before.
Calvin Christian Reformed Church raised $600,000 to upgrade the one-story building at 700 Ethel Street, where
GDK Construction will officially begin work on renovations on Nov. 13.
Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Image Courtesy of Calvin Christian Reformed Church
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