PHOENIX — As the cost of everything continues to climb, a community outreach ministry in the Valley is providing transformational help to thousands of families in need.
ABC15 talked with Nathan Cooper, the warehouse hub manager at Grand Canyon University (GCU) CityServe.
"GCU CityServe is a compassionate, Christian outreach at Grand Canyon University," Cooper said. "We receive goods from big box stores like Walmart, Amazon, Costco, and a lot of other corporate partners. It's all stuff that would typically end up in a landfill."
Now, thanks to a first-ever university partnership with CityServe, truckloads of furniture, appliances, home goods, and even electric bikes are being sent to a 95,000-square-foot warehouse on GCU's campus.
"GCU CityServe is capturing these goods and sharing them with people who need help," Cooper said.
The on-campus HUB relies heavily on student volunteers, faculty, and staff members.
Since GCU CityServe started in 2021, more than $8.5 million in surplus goods have been distributed through a growing number of GCU's point-of-distribution partners (PODs).
Right now, the non-profit has more than 125 POD partners across the state, impacting families as far north as Flagstaff, as far west as Yuma, and as far south as Tucson.
Regina Madden is a pastor from Helping Hands Ministry, a POD and Hero partner from the start.
"If I find somebody and they need something, I put it down on a wishlist. I put the list into City Serve, and when that item comes in, they notify me," Madden said. "I come and pick it up in a truck and take it and deliver it."
Madden said she loads up and distributes goods from the warehouse up to three times per month.
"We had a family right down the street from here, living in an apartment and sleeping on the floor," Madden said. "So, when I was able to bring three beds, a living room set, a dining room set, some dishes, some pictures for the walls, and some plants, they just cried. And I cried with them."
So far, 18,202 Arizona families have been able to get help from GCU CityServe. Each item that leaves the warehouse, leaves with a purpose, according to Cooper.
"That's why I love the dining room tables. Because it's not just a dining room table. It's not just a place to eat. But it's a place where they'll do their homework, they'll build and grow as a family," he said. "And I think that's so key."
CityServe is a collaborative network of churches and community leaders who help those in need live better lives.
The organization has been designated a "Community of Faith and Opportunity" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
For more information about CityServe and its initiatives, click here.
