All families have been adopted! Thank you for your generosity!

The mission of Grace United Community Ministries is to work hand in hand with families and individuals in our Northeast Kansas City, MO community to address their basic physical, educational, and spiritual needs to empower them to break the cycle of poverty and live a purposeful life.

The Grace United Community Ministries Adopt-A-Family project ensures that families receive Christmas joy, warmth and food. You will receive a list of requested items, and can expect to spend approximately $50 per person to cover food, a gift and a clothing item. Adoptable family sizes range from 2 people to 10 people, making this a great opportunity for small groups or organizations.

Please use our online sign-up form to select the family you wish to sponsor. Upon completion of the form, you will be asked to donate $25 to cover the cost of purchasing a turkey or ham for your chosen family. You will receive the list of requested gifts and food items separately.

Return your items on Friday, December 10 or Saturday, December 11 from 9am - 12pm at the Resurrection Missions Center (15455 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66223). If you have any questions, please contact our lead volunteer, Diane Sherman - dsherman99@yahoo.com.

This December we will be collecting toys for our Partner Schools incentive stores.
These toys serve as rewards to help the kids stay motivated to reach their behavior and education goals.

Items Needed:

• Boys: 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grade
  
• Boys: Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade
  

• Girls: 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grade
• Girls: Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade

Incentive toys can be returned to the collection areas of any Resurrection location through the month of December, or bring it to our drive-up, drop-off event at any location on December 18, from 9 to 11 AM.

Unable to shop in-person? Our Amazon wishlist is a great place to shop online for the incentive store toys, snacks, and hygiene items that support our Partner Schools need. Be sure to select "Gift Registry Address" when you checkout and your donation will be shipped directly to our team. Visit our Amazon Wishlist.

Want to donate funds instead? Give online to our Holiday Missions Fund here.

Multiple shift times are available at various locations in Kansas City

Join us for a COVID-cautious Serve Saturday on December 18, or serve at one of our partner locations during a Christmas event! Registration is required to ensure proper social distancing. Volunteers will go directly to their selected serve site on that day. Please note, some locations have specific COVID-related guidelines for volunteers.

Learn more and register here.

Looking for some at-home serve activities? Check out our DIY Serve page!

Volunteer Guidelines:

Church of the Resurrection supports CDC COVID-19 guidance for vaccinated and unvaccinated people, including with respect to isolation and quarantine. Please self-monitor for symptoms and close contact when considering attendance at any scheduled event.

Volunteers should be prepared to follow the requested COVID-19 guidelines (masking, social distancing, etc.) at the agencies where they serve.

Intro to Cultural Competency Training

Cultural Competency training is required before serving in ongoing Kansas City Mission programs in order to provide a safe environment for all those we serve. Empowering and educational, this training will provide each participant with a heightened awareness about our neighbors and cross-cultural interactions. Those who need this training may be interested in serving on the bookmobile, at the food pantry, as a tutor, or in a classroom at one of our partner schools. Additionally, individuals who are interested in serving with our partner organizations should plan to take this training.

2022 Training Dates (Registration is required)

All sessions will take place over Zoom. Seating is limited and classes not meeting a minimum size may be rescheduled.

• January 22 | Saturday | 1:00-3:00 pm
  
• February 19 | Saturday | 1:00-3:00 pm
• March 16 | Wednesday | 9:30-11:30
• April 16 | Saturday | 1:00-3:00 pm
• June 18 | Saturday | 1:00-3:00 pm
• July 13 | Wednesday | 9:30-11:30 am
• August 19 | Wednesday | 9:30-11:30 am

Register Now

Safe Gatherings certification is also required for those working in the schools. If you are not already Safe Gatherings certified (certification lasts four years) you can begin that process by filling out a volunteer application here.

Questions? Please contact Pastor Patrick McLaughlin - patrick.mclaughlin@cor.org

During the COVID shutdown, all campuses eliminated donation drop-off locations. With in-person activities beginning again, we wanted to share our process for accepting donations moving forward.

• Leawood - Bins are available for donations to Hunger Stoppers and Partner School ministries only. They are located in the Mission Ministries space in the narthex of building A.
  Please check the Hunger and Partner Schools webpages to see acceptable and needed items.

• Overland Park - Food pantry donations are accepted
  
  
• All other locations: General donations are no longer accepted.

We will continue with focused drop-off events on the 3rd Saturday of each month that will best serve our partners with just-in-time resources. This approach will allow all campuses and multiple ministries to share focused efforts to serve Kansas City.

Upcoming donation events:
June 19: Hunger Doesn't Take the Summer Off
July 17: Back to School for Partner Schools
Aug 21: Clothing
Sept: Fall Food Drive

Please visit our Local Impact page for details about our monthly initiatives and ways you can serve and donate directly to those on the front lines. If you have items to donate throughout the year we’d recommend taking items to the organizations below:

• Furniture/household goods – Flourish Furnishings
• Books/office supplies – Blessings Abound
• Sports/fitness/outdoor equipment – Adelante Thrift
• Storage/organization/tools – Blessings Abound or Adelante Thrift
• Clothing/Misc – Mission Southside
• Printers/electronics – Connecting for Good (PCs for People)

The need for affordable housing is immense, and the lasting impact homeownership can have on families and individuals is undeniable.

Upcoming Opportunities:

Habitat for Humanity
There are more than 13,000 families in Kansas City struggling to find affordable housing. We are excited to be partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City to build new affordable homes.

The homes are not free – each family who partners with Habitat is making a personal and financial investment in their future. Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City partners with families to provide strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Through this partnership, each family has the opportunity to build or rehab and purchase their own decent home with an affordable zero-interest mortgage. Help be part of the solution by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.

Helping Hands Construction Ministry
Our RezDT Construction ministry is looking for volunteers of all skill levels and from all of our campuses. This ministry meets the first & third Saturdays of each month to help families and Serve Saturday partners that have a little more advanced and time consuming needs then they can address on their own. For info email rezdtconstruction@cor.org.

If you're interested in other housing and construction opportunities please contact Bob at resurrectionhabitat@yahoo.com.

The Church of the Resurrection Computer Ministry, "Geeks 4 God," provides refurbished computer systems to individuals, area churches, schools, Resurrection missions and other community organizations. The Geeks4God team refurbished over 500 donated computers in 2020 to support individuals and organizations in need.

The Computer Ministry workshop is located in the Resurrection Mission Center at 15455 Metcalf Ave., Suite D, Overland Park. Click here for driving directions to the Resurrection Mission Center.

Donations Needed:

• Laptops or desktop computers with at least an Intel Core2 or AMD K2 processors (No white computers)
• LCD/LED flat-screen monitors (No CRT monitors)
• Desktop computer speakers
• PLEASE NO PRINTERS OR FAX MACHINES

If you would like to donate one of the items listed above, you can drop it off at the address listed above on Tuesday evenings between 6pm-8pm.

To make a donation appointment, please contact contact us at 913-232-4131 or RCM@cor.org.

Request a Computer:

Refurbished computers are provided to those who are truly in need and otherwise could not afford one.

Please note that our software licensing agreement requires that requests for computers must be submitted by a church or non-profit entity. We cannot honor requests from individuals acting on their own initiative or on behalf of another.

Members and regular attendees: Please schedule a time to meet with your congregational care pastor who will submit a request on your behalf. All others should complete and submit this form for consideration. Please note that we are unable to ship computers outside of the greater Kansas City area or overseas.

Volunteer:

Geeks 4 God meet on Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30pm and Saturdays 10am-12pm. Individuals interested in becoming involved should contact us at 913-232-4131 or RCM@cor.org and we will make arrangements to meet with you and show you the work area.

Partner Schools Ministry

We build relationships, share knowledge and serve children and families in need. By showing Christ’s love to the most vulnerable through educational opportunities, we believe we can break the cycle of poverty in Kansas City. Share your unique gifts by empowering people in Kansas City to stop the cycle of poverty and helping those in need to become self-sufficient! You can do this by:

• Helping at upcoming Partner School Events.
• Serving during regular school hours in Resurrection partner schools as a tutor or classroom buddy.
• Tutoring children after school at Grace United.
• Sharing your love of reading and distribute books to students and join the bookmobile team.
• Becoming a liaison or an assistant to a liaison at one of our partner schools.

There are opportunities for everyone - families, small groups, adults and youth 12 and older. Be a part of giving a hand up to these deserving children and adults!

Volunteer shifts available almost every day of the week.

Please sign up in advance as we are adhering to social distancing guidelines to help prevent the spread of germs and are limited to fewer than 10 people volunteering at one time. Want to donate food? Drop off donations between 1-3pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Want to volunteer? Fill out our volunteer application.

Already applied? Log in here and sign up for shifts.

Questions? Contact Carol Campbell - carol.campbell@cor.org

Avenue of Life's mission is to mobilize our community to equip and empower low-income individuals and families to be self-sustained and independent.

Avenue of Life continues to distribute essentials kits to families. Donations are needed of non-perishable pantry staples, items for sack lunches, toiletries and cleaning supplies for homes, masks, gloves and disinfecting wipes.

Cross-Lines was established in 1963 as “a place of hope” for those struggling with the hardships of poverty. They provide direct assistance to at-risk families, the elderly, and single individuals struggling to make ends meet.

Cross-Lines accepts monetary donations, as well as in-kind donations for their food pantry, toiletry kits, and sack lunches. They also have an Amazon wishlist to help make in-kind donations even easier.

They are accepting seasonally appropriate adult clothing donations at their administrative building.
736 Shawnee Ave. Kansas City, KS 66105
Monday-Friday from 8 am-12 pm

Donate to Cross-Lines.

Flourish Furnishings collects, prepares and distributes donated furnishings and home essentials to offer a “hand up” by meeting the household furnishings needs in Kansas City’s urban and suburban communities.

Donations of household goods and furnishings are needed. Visit their website to learn more about donating gently used goods, view their Amazon wishlist, or give online.

Click here to learn more.

Safety-net programs such as SNAP (food stamps) and WIC (women infants children) do not cover diapers. This is a huge expense for low-income families costing an estimated $80-100 per month. 1 in 3 American families struggle to provide enough diapers to keep their babies happy, healthy and dry.

Donate to Happy Bottoms.

Harvesters Community Food Network remains committed to working with their network of more than 760 agencies to provide food to those in need.

Harvesters is encouraging the community to help by donating money. For every dollar donated you help them ensure they have the food and resources on hand to meet any additional demand. It also helps Harvesters provide means to get the food out more effectively and efficiently.

Volunteers are also needed to process and sort donations. You must be 16+ and in good health.

Heart to Heart International strengthens communities through improving health access, providing humanitarian development and administering crisis relief worldwide. Good hygiene is critical in this time of the COVID-19 global pandemic, especially in vulnerable communities.

They have already distributed thousands of kits to local shelters, healthcare facilities, school districts, faith-based programs, food pantries, public safety organizations, and more. But, more kits are needed.

You can sponsor one kit for $10 and it will provide hygiene supplies (including soap, toothpaste, shampoo, handwashing guidelines, and more) that will be delivered to a person in need.

Hope Faith is asking for assistance in sourcing bulk meal supplies to be given out in paper sack care packages.

If you are able to do so safely, please bring the following to Hope Faith to provide for Kansas City’s homeless population. You can also make a monetary donation online or visit their Amazon wishlist.

Hope Faith: 705 Virginia Ave, Kansas City, MO 64106

Food Items
Fruit cups, pudding, flour tortillas, sliced bread, biscuits, deli meat, sliced cheeses, buns, applesauce, fruit snacks, granola bars, breakfast bars, honey buns, wrapped muffins, smoothies, yogurt, english muffins, individually packaged cereals, peanut butter, jelly, individually packaged chips, cheese sticks, bottled water, juice boxes, and individual milk cartons.

Sanitation & General Items
Spoons/sporks, Nitrile gloves (especially L-XL), disposable gloves, N95 disposable face, masks, disinfectant spray, commercial building/kitchen disinfectant, hand sanitizer (all sizes), sanitizing wipes, bleach, paper towels, trash bags, disposable rags, tissue paper, facial tissue, vitamins, vitamin C, sandwich bags, disposable plates, disposable cups, disposable napkins, brown paper sacks, and plastic sacks.

Metro Lutheran Ministry connects those in need in the Kansas City area with food, housing, health care, education, employment services and other resources.

If you want to stay in but still want to help you could make sack lunches or breakfasts and MLM will pick them up! For more information, please contact Rebecka at rebeckanoel@mlmkc.org.

If you want to donate the food needed for sack breakfasts, order from their Amazon wishlist.

reStart provides housing and supportive services to help homeless men, women, youth and families move toward independence and self-sufficiency with the goal of ending homelessness in our community.

At this time, they are in need of sack lunches to distribute their clients. A few ideas for what to include: peanut butter sandwiches; protein options like tuna or chicken salad kits, vienna sausages or beef jerky; individually packaged chips, fruit cups, granola bars and other snacks.

Once your bags are complete, please coordinate with Daisha Kimbrough to arrange a time to deliver them to reStart.

Shelter KC is in desperate need of hygiene items (soap, body wash, shampoo, toothpaste) and surgical masks to protect employees and guests. Store-bought masks are preferable, but they will take homemade too. Contact Shelter KC to arrange a time to drop off donations: 816-421-7643

Donating funds online will go to work immediately to care for homeless men and women in Kansas City. Donate now.

Synergy Services, Inc. began in 1970 as Synergy House, the only shelter for runaway and homeless youth in western Missouri. Through the years the organization’s reach to include young children and women victimized by abuse.

The Domestic Violence Center, Children's Center and Synergy House remain open and staff continues to provide 24-hour care and housing to children and teens in our community through this crisis.

Donate to Synergy Services or check out their list of in-kind needs here (you can order through Amazon or Walmart).

Proceeds the Adelante Thrift Store support the operations of Mission Adelante, a multicultural ministry community with Bhutanese refugees and Latino immigrants emphasizing individual transformation and community development.

Volunteers are needed to work behind the scenes, assisting with sorting donations, hanging clothing, and cleaning/pricing items.

Learn more or sign up to volunteer here.

Questions? Please contact Adelante Thrift's volunteer coordinator, Jessica at jessicab@adelantethrift.com.

Inspired by Christian faith, Bishop Sullivan Center shows God’s love to people in financial hardship by providing food, help in finding jobs, and other aid. Beyond material assistance, Bishop Sullivan Center strives to build relationships between those who live in poverty and those who do not, promoting mutual understanding and affirming the dignity of all.

You can help our community by serving a meal at the One City Café, helping pack and distribute groceries in the food pantry, or helping in the office.

Harvesters Mobile Food Pantry is holding distribution events at the Don Bosco Center (580 Campbell) in downtown KC, from 1-4pm on 2nd Fridays.

This is a walkthrough Mobile Food Distribution. Volunteers will be needed to help distribute and organize the food on the pallets, sign people in, and clean up at the end.

It will be outside, so please dress for the weather with close-toed shoes and bring a mask. Lifting may be required for certain volunteer positions.

Sign up to help unload, sort, and hand out food while people drive-through for the distribution.

Flourish Furnishings collects, prepares and distributes donated furnishings and home essentials to offer a “hand up” by meeting the household furnishings needs in Kansas City’s urban and suburban communities.

Volunteers are needed to load/unload trucks, sort through donated goods, restock shelves for client shopping and working with clients.

Click here to learn more.

Proceeds from Hillcrest Thrift Stores support the operations of the Hillcrest Transitional Housing program, offering homeless families, singles and youth housing and a disciplined educational program within a caring, supportive environment.

Learn more about how to volunteer.

KVC Health Systems is a national leader in behavioral healthcare, child welfare, and community health and wellness.

KVC clinical teams and essential frontline staff are working around the clock to care for the safety and mental health of our clients in their homes, in foster homes, and inside their children’s hospitals and residential treatment centers.

Volunteers are needed to assist with drives, donations, and activities. Learn more on the KVC website.

Lead to Read KC’s mission is to support the social, emotional, and reading skills that are foundational for student success by mobilizing community volunteers to read with students in elementary schools. This fall, Lead to Read KC will be working with students in one of our partner schools, Wheatley Elementary.

Lead to Read KC is recruiting volunteers, both virtual and in-person, to read for 30 minutes once a week with elementary students. Most reading sessions occur around lunchtime—no evenings or weekends! Apply online, complete a short online training session, and begin reading with a student who needs support now more than ever! Currently the program is virtual, so you will need a computer (desktop, laptop or tablet) with audio and video, and reliable internet. They anticipate going back into the schools in the fall to read and mentor students in-person.

Watch the KMBC 9 News story about Lead to Read OR check out this video of the digital program in action!

QUESTIONS?: Contact Hayley@leadtoreadkc.org or 816.260.7710.

Metro Lutheran Ministry connects those in need in the Kansas City area with food, housing, health care, education, employment services and other resources.

Metro Lutheran is looking for 3-5 volunteers from 8:15am-11:30am on Tuesday-Friday. Volunteers will be pre-packing food boxes for the next day (no direct contact with clients).

They also need 3-5 volunteers from 1:00pm - 3:00pm on Fridays to help package sack breakfasts.

Please contact Rebecka at rebeckanoel@mlmkc.org for more information or to volunteer.

United Way of Greater Kansas City works to provide the farthest-reaching network of support for those in need in our community. UWGKC has identified volunteer opportunities all throughout the metro area, that will help those who are impacted by this public health crisis. This list will be continuously updated, so check back.