Acts homeless Outreach

Local Outreach 2011
ACTS Homeless Outreach:

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  Served 4,312 homeless guests in 2011 which is 360 people a month
  
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  Four Baptisms this year
  
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  Services provided:
  
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    Hot breakfast
    
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    Showers
    
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    Clean clothing & shoes
    
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    Toiletries
    
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    Haircuts
    
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    Reading glasses
    
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    Nurse
    
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    Chiropractor
    
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    Veterans assistance from member at Central
    
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    Community resources and referrals
    
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    Prayer and Christian mentoring
    
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    Transportation to church services
    
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    Free emergency dental services and dentures
    
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    Bus passes
    
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    Choir and guitarist plays for guests
    
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    We have a new recycle bin for old clothing and books that produce insulation. They pay us and that money goes back into the ministry.
    
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    We have 5.00 gift cards for prescriptions to help our guests that can’t pay for their medication. AHCCCS doesn’t pay for this now.
    

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  Servant Ministers:
  
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    Approximately 75 servant ministers attend each ACTS event. On average, 25-30% (15-25 people) of these are first time visitors.
    
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    1,800 to 2,000 servant ministers volunteer at ACTS every year, including our youth ministry, schools, other churches, and business groups.
    

“You treat us kind here, like we’re real people. On the street you sometimes feel like you’re not a real person at all.” Doug- ACTS guest

Open Table:

A Table acts as a team of life specialists and supporters, who work together with the person/family being helped to overcome the obstacles that hinder their self-sufficiency. Those obstacles can include: limited access to health care, housing, employment, legal matters and education, to name just a few.

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  We will begin our 7th Open Table in Mesa In January. We will be mentoring a family from The House of Refuge, a transitional living facility located in the East Valley.
  
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  We acquire Open Table candidates from Save the Family, House of Refuge, UMOM shelter, prison ministry and Central. Each campus will have 1 to 2 tables up and running in 2012.
  
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  Our previous Tables include a former ACTS guest, 3 ex-felons, a refugee family, woman from a domestic violence shelter and a family from transitional housing.
  
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  In eight months one of our table sisters found employment, housing, her two children were returned to her, she was given a free car from Central, and approximately $23,000 in fines and debt were taken care of as a result of the diligent actions of the table members. Due to the expertise of the Table members (Central members), we were able to resolve difficult issues quickly and efficiently. Most importantly our sister is deeply rooted in Christ and calls Central home. A law in Glendale was changed due to Keith Kelly’s diligence and now Glendale offers community service hours in place of fines.
  
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  Central trained 8 other churches in the east valley on how to start an Open Table this year.
  
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  We radio show with one of our Open Table ladies. She gave her testimony of her life before OT and after OT.
  
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  LO took a ministry week in Tavares, Florida for Open Table. I spoke with 10 churches in Lake County and the probation department on how Open Table could benefit the churches and the ex-felons coming back into society.
  

Prison Ministry:

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  Women’s Ministry
  

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  We provide a weekly Bible study for 50 women in the Florence Prison.
  
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  Cal’s sermon series on Hebrews is now being shown weekly on DVD.
  
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  We send in reader glasses on request and send in cases of Bibles.
  
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  Men’s Ministry
  
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    We provide mentoring, encouragement, and answers to Bible questions on a weekly basis in high security prison (SMU 1 and Browning unit) for approx. 125 men. 50 of these men are mentored on a continual basis.
    
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    One member of our team visits with the men on death row. One man on death row came to Christ just before he was executed.
    
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    12 men came to Christ this year in SMU 1 and Browning unit.
    

Sunshine Acres:

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  Several men from Mesa built a hay barn for the children’s Equine program.
  
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  God allowed Central to bless Sunshine Acres’ horse arena with 100 tons of sand that was donated for free. The gentleman that offered the sand loaded it up from an event in Phoenix when they were done with the sand, delivered and spread it in the arena at Sunshine Acres. Two weeks prior Sunshine Acres had asked me if we knew someone that could donate some sand for the horses and I said probably not, God had another plan!
  

Christmas Outreach:

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  Adopt-a-Family: Central families and small groups adopted 285 families (about 800 children) from our community. This is 141 more families than we did last year. I would like to do double this goal next year for a total of 600 families that we adopt.
  

Central reached out and adopted;
Mesa and Gilbert campus adopted from...Field and Poston schools (45 families helped), Weinberg school (45 families adopted), Gilbert and Mesa Boys and Girls club (60 families adopted), Prison Fellowship families (25 families adopted), and many Central families from each campus.
Queen Creek adopted out 29 kids from 12 families from Queen Creek Elementary plus an additional 5 more families from their campus.
Glendale adopted 10 families from their campus, plus Streetlight women (no number on this one).

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  The toys we collected at all campuses helped 140 families from Rhodes Jr. High, 10 Families from Bayless Behavioral Health Solutions, 100 families or more from Care Partnership in Mesa (they took 24 boxes of toys and 20 bedding sets to Care Partnership) Care Partnership serves over 3500 people the week of Christmas. Lehi Elementary, A New Leaf in Mesa, Streetlight, Starbright Organization, and Crisis Pregnancy (a full truck load) were all given toys.
  

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  Servant Ministers:
  

We had 50 servant ministers who helped with the Christmas in the Local Outreach office. Many of them received school volunteer service hours.
July Food Drive:

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  54,737 pounds of food collected and sent to supported agencies.
  
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    United food Bank- 15,429 LBS of food left at UFB = 11,868 MEALS
    

November Food drive:

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  Central’s Food Pantry received 15,000 lbs of food
  
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  Mesa total weight 3566 lbs given… 232 turkeys given = 3485 lbs
  
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  total weight Mesa 22,051
  
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  Gilbert total weight 12,498 lbs given…221 turkeys given = 3183 lbs
  
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  total weight Gilbert 15,681
  
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  Glendale total weight 1800 lbs given…12 turkeys given = 204 lbs
  
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  total weight Glendale 2004
  
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  Queen Creek weight 2625 lbs given…5 turkeys given = 85 lb
  
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  total weight Queen Creek 2710
  

Total weight collected for November food drive is 42,446 pounds of food. Total weight of food collected for both July and November is 97,183 lbs., but this does not include the generous food donations we receive from Centralites on a weekly basis.

Food Pantry (Jack Begley):

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  1900 bags of food given out last year
  

That is approximately 40 families per week
I-Heart:
Mesa Campus

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  Sunshine Acres 302 people attended and served on a Saturday morning, which along with the prep time resulted in 1208 volunteer service hours. The campus was cleared of brush and weeds. Trees were trimmed. Chapel, kitchen and dining area were cleaned, inside and out. The garden area was cleaned out of undergrowth and weeds-a huge change! The maintenance garage exterior was painted and the office was cleaned.
  
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  Mesa campus clean-up day. 70 servant ministers helped to clean up the campus doing various projects.
  

Gilbert Campus

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  Streetlight painting project 120 servant ministers.
  
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  CityFest in Tempe 100 servant ministers helped in various areas - prayer booth.
  
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  Eleven11 prayer and school cleanup 20 servant ministers
  
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  Gilbert campus clean-up 50 servant ministers.
  
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  Matthew party (neighborhood Super Bowl party and food collection) unknown
  

Glendale Campus

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  Father’s House homeless ministry served 4 times, provided food and fed the homeless – 20 servant ministers.
  
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  Ronald MacDonald house. Served food 1 time with 3 servant ministers.
  
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  Adopt-a-school, 2 servant ministers serve on a regular basis.
  
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  Crisis Pregnancy Center, 3 people trained to serve. Glendale raised $2,600 in their walk for CPC.
  
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  Glendale Glitters – Photo-booth from Central did 350 portraits and gave out 700 pictures-each family received two 4x6 pictures.
  
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  Glendale Glitters had 75 servant ministers for a total of 6 Glitter nights.
  
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  Glendale has had over 200 servant ministers involved in community serving.
  

Queen Creek

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  Party in the Park 1000 people attended from the community, 40 servant ministers.
  
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  Walked in the Queen Creek Christmas parade and gave out door hangers for the Polar Express movie for the kids in Queen Creek.
  
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  Canyon State Academy free Thanksgiving dinner. 50 servant minister helped
  
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  Thanksgiving food drive collected 100 bags of groceries, 2100 lbs of food that went to the Restore food pantry.
  
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  Collected diapers, onesies, toilet paper, paper towels, and soap drive for Hope Women’s Center.
  
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  Organized “Project Bridge” thrift store/food bank in Florence.
  

Primary Community Networking Connections:

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  House of Refuge East : Open Table and clothing and housewares
  

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  A New Leaf (Mesa Can): We network with them for utility help and shelter services, and attend community networking meetings.
  

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  Crisis Pregnancy: We provide baby clothing and diapers.
  

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  Dream Center/Church on the Street: A resource for housing the homeless. We provide clothing donations and hygiene products for the men and women staying there.
  

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  Paz de Cristo: Evening feeding kitchen in Mesa. We provide food, advertise the ACTS ministry, pick-up guests, and collaborate together for client services/issues.
  

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  St Vincent De Paul Morning feeding kitchen in Mesa. We provide food, advertise the ACTS ministry, pick-up guests, and collaborate together for client services/issues.
  

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  City of Mesa: Work with the volunteer coordinator in regards to projects that Central helps with.
  

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  Sunshine Acres: We trade adult clothing for children’s clothing.
  

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  Save the Family: Refer people in need in the community for housing. We donate household goods and clothing. They donate jeans to the ACTS ministry.
  

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  Child Crisis Center: We provide children’s clothing and toys.
  

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  For Our City: We are working with the mayor’s office to help with his children’s initiatives and serving opportunities for the churches in Mesa.
  

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  Streetlight;
  
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    Donations of clothing, care packs have been taken over to them over the year.
    

Local Outreach provides referral services for people in need in the community on a daily basis. Some examples include; domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters and services, food, clothing, shelter for youth, utility and rent help, ID’s and birth certificates, furniture, and transitional housing.
Other Ministry Opportunities:

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  Furniture Swap
  
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  Special Events
  
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  Homeless Connect
  
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  Blood Mobile
  
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  Community Health Fairs
  
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  Court advocates
  
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  Prison Visitations (chaplain) for members
  
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  Newsletter to prisoners
  
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  Home Visits