Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Grace in Action is a Christ-centered community ministry equipping the churches to serve homeless individuals and those of low income by providing compassionate care, spiritual companionship, daytime respite, and referrals to local agencies. Building relationships in order to serve the most vulnerable individuals in Yolo County is always at the forefront of our activities. Grace in Action is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between our community of giving and local agency programs.
During 2023, Grace in Action returned to full indoor lunch service at two locations. On Mondays, lunch is served in the Fellowship Hall at United Methodist Church. On Wednesdays, lunch is served in the Fellowship Hall at Pole Line Baptist Church. At both churches, volunteers brew coffee, set out juice and water to drink, and fill the serving table with sandwiches, soup or salad, chips, fruit, dessert, cheese sticks, and other items that are offered on different days. The soups and salads are donated and prepared by our amazing volunteer Patti Miller. In addition, Patti brings chips, juice, and desserts along with special meals for those on restricted diets.
In addition to serving hearty lunches, our guests are offered on-site haircuts twice a month at United Methodist Church. Communion is offered most Wednesdays at Pole Line Baptist Church. Both sites offer prayer time at the dedicated Prayer Corner. John Castlefranco offers Bible Study sessions on many Mondays. Guests may obtain laundry vouchers and bus passes during the lunch hour. Bike repairs are also offered. Representatives from Legal Services of Northern California counsel guests once a month.
2023 was the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the formation of Grace in Action as a non-profit. The ministry was founded by Cindy Burger when she began giving water, sandwiches, and new socks out of the trunk of her car. United Methodist Church and University Covenant Church started welcoming guests indoors and the ministry grew from there. The 20th year celebration was held at United Methodist Church on October 7th. Board members provided brunch foods including quiche, breakfast breads, croissants, muffins, coffee, tea, juice and a delicious celebration cake. Nugget Market provided a large fresh fruit tray. Our weekly guests and our donors along with friends of the ministry were all invited. The participants enjoyed hearing several speakers share about their experiences with Grace in Acton. The highlight was hearing from all four directors of Grace in Action including founder Cindy Burger.
Three memorial celebrations were held in 2023 for Edward Whisler, David Peralta, and David Breaux at the Grace in Action Memorial Garden in the Grace Garden at United Methodist Church. The new memorial bricks were painted by volunteer artist Kristen Higgins. Kristen also refurbished many of the memorial bricks in the Memorial Garden. Volunteer David Mojica repainted the chairs and tables in the area and the Grace Garden crew extended the pathway.
At Christmas Pole Line Baptist Church donated Taco Bell gift cards for the gift bags. Grace in Action included hats, gloves, and hand-warmers in the gift bags. On many Saturdays in the fall, Grace in Action had an information table at the Davis Farmer’s Market which Patti Miller and Edward Johnson set-up and monitored with the help of some of our regular guests. Church service visitations were started in November with University Covenant Church. More visits will continue in 2024
137 unique individuals were registered with Grace in Action in 2023. During the year, more than 2260 lunches were served. Usually there were more guests at Pole Line Baptist church with an average of 24 guests although on many days over 30 guests were served. At United Methodist Church an average of 21 guests were served each day. The lunches were provided by volunteer lunch providers from several churches along with what Patti Miller donated. There were usually three or more volunteers at each site for 2 ½ hours each day. A minimum of 765 volunteer hours were donated just at the sites but many more hours are given through the haircut volunteer, lunch providers, transportation volunteers, Bible study and Communion leaders, etc.
During the 2023 fiscal year, Grace in Action received a $1000 grant from Soroptimist International Davis for our Direct Services portion of the budget. Yolo Federal Credit Union contributed $500 towards the Direct Services portion of the budget. Renova Solar gave 100 solar battery chargers to our program. A private donor gave a generous donation to buy gift cards for the Davis Police Department to use when encountering people on the street in need of services. Grace in Action participated in the Big Day of Giving for the first time in May 2023 and received $2605.36 in donations. Additional income sources were: churches gave $17,028.56, individual donors gave $35,058.16, plus our grant and miscellaneous funds from interest, etc. Total income for the 2023 fiscal year was $55,865.62.
Expenses during the year included $14,978.99 for Direct Services including emergency housing, guest supplies, food, health related issues, transportation (bus passes etc.), and laundry vouchers, bike repairs, and haircuts. Operational expenses totaled $5,580.62 for liability insurance, office and publicity needs, telephone, Quickbooks, advertising, etc. Personnel Expenses totaled $39,219.96. Total expenses for the 2023 fiscal year were $59,779.57. Our reserves were used to cover the shortfall of $3,913.95.
Board Members included Nick Bua, President, Lorell Hardaker Vice President, Sue Ann Finley/Scott Heald Secretaries, Rita Mt. Joy Treasurer, Ann Marie McNulty, Patti Miller, and Cindy Cherry. Audrey Haverstock provided part-time bookkeeping services and Edward Johnson served as Executive Director.