Long-Term Goals
Planning, Timelines, Strategies
Dated: 07/15/20
The mission of Cup of Grace is to strengthen our community by providing access to food, clothing, and social services. We seek to encourage friendship and strong ties between our neighbors in Spirit Lake, Athol, Blanchard and Rathdrum.
With our mission in mind, we have established the following long-term goals and strategies to reach them. The work that we do, however, is always dependent upon God’s direction. We pray continuously that He shows us where He is working in our community, and we then go to meet Him there. Although we need, as an organization, a set of goals and plans, they are all contingent on where God leads us. We ask you to join us as we pray for God’s loving direction and for Him to provide us what we need to serve His will.
Long-Term Goals:
Obtain a building of our own (buy/rent) to accommodate all of our programs
Help neighbors build relationships
Feed people
Provide access to clothing for people
Provide, or direct people to, needed social services
Strategies to Achieve Goals
Obtain a building of our own (buy/rent) to accommodate all of our programs
a) Continue building relationships with members of the community, local businesses and organizations, and churches.
b) Inform the community that we are looking for a building of our own via social media, newsletters and our website.
c) Search and apply for high-dollar grants and awards that we can use toward the purchase or rent of a building.
d) Partner with other organizations or ministries to co-rent a building.
e) Encourage continuous prayer for God to provide guidance, and the means, for us to help Him achieve His will.
2. Help neighbors build relationships
a) Facilitate members of our community networking with one another.
b) Continue our community meals to build friendships.
c) Increase our volunteer base so people can work together and build relationships.
d) Create a method of letting people know who in our community needs help.
e) Continue to strengthen our current relationships with SLBC (Spirit Lake Baptist Church), SLS (Spirit Lake Seniors), and FIB (First Interstate Bank).
f) Collaborate with local businesses, government, schools, organizations and churches on community events.
g) Sponsor local social events to bring the community together. 3. Feed people
3. Feed people
a) Continue our free, weekly Community Meal program.
b) Expand our Community Meal program beyond once per week, perhaps by getting other local organizations or churches involved.
c) Provide a meal of some kind (soup, stew, sandwiches) to anyone who needs it whenever we are open (when we have our own building).
d) Continue our Summer Saturday Free Lunches for Kids program.
e) Expand the Summer Saturday Free Lunches for Kids program to weekdays, if/when the school doesn’t provide them.
f) Continue the Weekend Bags for Kids program.
g) Reach kids outside of Spirit Lake by using a trailer/van to deliver free Summer Lunches and Weekend Bags.
h) Help our local Meals on Wheels program expand by helping to deliver meals during the year.
i) Continue to provide grocery cards to individuals/families in crisis.
j) Create a food bank and space to feed kids after school each weekday.
k) Distribute/create a resource guide to local food banks and meals. l) Partner with organizations like No Kid Hungry.
4. Provide access to clothes for people
a) Distribute/create a resource guide to local free or cheap clothing.
b) Continue to develop our Diaper Bank program by holding diaper drives and advertising the program.
c) Maintain the current closets in our School Closet program.
d) Expand the School Closet program to every Lakeland School District school in our geographic area (Rathdrum, Spirit Lake, Athol).
e) Create a for-profit thrift store, the proceeds from which would help fund our programs/pay for building mortgage or rent.
f) Volunteers at the thrift store could earn tokens good toward purchases from the store.
5. Provide, or direct people to, needed social services
a) Distribute/create a resource guide to local social services.
b) Prepare and conduct classes on: life skills, resume writing, interview skills, job searches, budgeting, parenting, etc.
c) Sponsor speakers or panels on various topics of interest in our community: teen suicide, parenting skills, homelessness, addictions, domestic/child abuse, etc.
d) Hold bible studies and spiritual enrichment classes; sponsor faith based speakers or panels on theological topics.
e) Create a computer lab for people to conduct job searches, obtain their GED, etc.
Our Assets: Capabilities and Collaborations
Obtain a building of our own (buy/rent) to accommodate all of our programs
a) We have strong and growing relationships with local organizations, businesses, ministries and community members.
b) We are researching and applying for grants and awards.
c) Our volunteers are from a variety of professions and backgrounds and they bring a wealth of knowledge to our organization.
d) Our board members and most of our volunteers have a strong Christian faith and longing to serve.
2. Help neighbors build relationships
a) We have strong and growing relationships with local churches, businesses, organizations, schools and ministries.
b) We seek to build relationships and collaborate with other local churches, businesses, and organizations.
c) We have the use of the Spirit Lake Community Center.
d) We have a strong volunteer base and steady clientele for our Community Meals.
e) The Community Meals have fostered friendships between neighbors.
3. Feed people
a) We have a strong relationship with the SLS and Meals on Wheels. b) Our existing Summer Saturday Lunch/Weekend Bag program is well run and has the capability of expanding to a daily event.
c) We have relationships with the PFFB (Post Falls Food Bank), CAN (Community Action Network), the SLFB (Spirit Lake Food Bank) and SVFB (Spirit Valley Food Bank).
d) We have a strong relationship with the Spirit Lake branch of FIB, and they both donate and serve as a drop-off point for our food drives.
e) We have developed a steady core of volunteers for our Community Meal.
f) We have a vision for a food bank and how to run it.
g) We currently partner with SLBC to provide food for their Youth Group.
4. Provide access to clothes for people
a) Our relationship with FIB enables us to partner with them on clothing drives, use the bank as a collection point for donated clothing, and advertise the drive.
b) We already have a good relationship with area schools as we provide for and maintain their School Closets.
c) We buy most of the schools’ clothes from thrift stores, thus helping them with their ministries.
d) We are able to contact the community for help with needed clothing via social media and our website.
e) Our experience with helping at Phoebe’s Place (a local free clothing store) helps us visualize how to build, organize and run a thrift store.
f) We already have volunteers who would like to work at a thrift store.
g) We have received donations in past years from our local Coats for Kids organization.
5. Provide, or direct people to, needed social services
a) Several of our volunteers have teaching/training experience so we could provide classes in-house.
b) We have volunteers with organizational skills.
c) Volunteers could work for free at the thrift store until/unless profits provide enough for salaries.
d) Our relationships with local organizations give us access to more people with special skills.
e) Some volunteers have experience leading bible studies.
Charting Our Progress: Timelines and Mileposts
Obtain a building of our own (buy/rent) to accommodate all of our programs
a) 1 year: Double our volunteer base. Advertisements for volunteers bring in more interested people; a Volunteer Coordinator works with volunteers to ensure they are working in their area of interest and are happy; volunteers are enthusiastic, dedicated and sharing their experiences with others.
b) 5-7 years: Own/rent our own building. Obtain grant/award money toward purchasing/renting a building; investing money to earn interest; developing relationships with people and organizations interested in investing in our ministry.
2. Help neighbors build relationships
a) 2 years: Sponsor speakers/panels to address concerns and issues important to our community. Have a list of concerns and issues raised by the community; have a list of speakers and panel members from which to pull; have a venue/venues in which to hold the event.
b) 3 years: Build a catalog of local professionals willing to do pro bono or discounted work for low-income people in our community. Have a list of at least five professionals; have a place on the website for the list; advertising for professionals to join the list; actively recruit to add to the list; advertise the businesses on our website.
3. Feed people
a) 1 year: Offer lunches to kids every weekday during the summer if/when the school district does not, and during school breaks. Increase funding to buy more food; increased food donations; additional volunteers to work extra days.
b) 1 year: Partner with Meals on Wheels to offer meals/lunches to adults and kids in rural areas. Increased funding to purchase food; volunteers to make deliveries; central points of distribution for kids’ lunches in the summer.
c) 5-7 years: Offer a meal every day. Have our own building; have enough volunteers to work every day; have volunteers to make soup, stew, sandwiches, etc.
d) 6 years: Open a food bank. Have our own building; have sources for food; have volunteers to operate the bank; have a distribution, tracking and measuring system.
Provide access to clothes for people
a) 1 year: Diaper Bank is meeting the community’s needs. Bank is continuously stocked; people in need know about the Bank; have a distribution, tracking and measuring system.
b) 3 years: Expanded/improved School Closet program. We are adding 1-3 schools per year. We are providing used and new clothes and shoes, as well as toiletries and school supplies where needed. We are providing clothes for all seasons in the school year.
c) 5 years: Open a for-profit thrift store. Have our own building; have volunteer base to work in the store; have a minimal amount of donated stock; have equipment and supplies for operation; earning enough profit to at least pay for rent/utilities within first quarter; making a profit beyond rent/utilities by second quarter; providing store vouchers to volunteers who work in the store.
d) 5 years: Operating/participating in the School Closet programs in all Lakeland schools. Add 2-3 schools per year; have enough volunteers to maintain the closets; have a system in place to evaluate program success.
Provide, or direct people to, needed social services
a) 1 year: Provide a resource guide to local social services. Find an existing guide and obtain copies; create and print a guide; place the guide on the website.
b) 1 year: Timeline in which our clients can stand on their own after first contacting us. All of our clients are self-sufficient within one year of first obtaining any of our services.
c) 1 year: Host speakers/panels on subjects of interest in our community. Available venue/venues in which to hold the event; list of identified subjects of interest; list of appropriate, qualified speakers/panel members; means of advertising the event.
d) 5 years: We are known to everyone in the area. A robust advertising program is in place; our good reputation promotes word-of-mouth advertising.
e) 5 years: Conduct classes for the community. Have our own building or access to an appropriate space; curriculum is developed for the subject; volunteer teachers available; materials and tools ready for the class; advertisements for the classes; an enrollment system is in place.
f) 8 years: Short-term daycare available for clients. Have our own building; have trained, qualified daycare volunteers; have a secure children’s area; have a security system for parent-child check-in and check-out.
Accomplishments
2017
a) Founded Cup of Grace, Inc.
b) Began a free, weekly Community Meal program
c) Began maintaining the School Closet at Spirit Lake Elementary d) Began the Summer Lunch and Library Lunch programs
e) Created our website and Facebook page
2018
a) Conducted our first annual fundraiser
b) Expanded our School Closet program to include Athol Elementary
c) Expanded our Summer Lunch program to include the Weekend Bag program
2019
a) Expanded the School Closet program to include Timberlake High School, Timberlake Junior High School, Betty Kiefer Elementary, and John Brown Elementary
b) Began booking local businesses, organizations and families to serve at the Community Meal
c) Were interviewed on KYMS radio by Kay Poland/Community Update d) Conducted our second successful annual fundraiser
e) Began applying for, and receiving, grant money
2020
a) Increased our social media presence by adding an Instagram account
b) Started a monthly newsletter
c) Received a grant to expand our School Closet program to include Lakeland High School, Lakeland Junior High School, Mountain View High School, Garwood Elementary and Twin Lakes Elementary.
d) Were interviewed and highlighted on KXLY television news regarding our involvement with the Mountain View School Closet
e) Partnered with the Spirit Lake Seniors and the City of Spirit Lake to administer and operate the COVID-19 Relief Effort in Spirit Lake