Dear Friends,

First, I want to give a veritable bear-hug of thanks to You and everyone who donated to Interfaith Assistance Ministry with financial gifts and grants in 2021. Your financial support provided the lifeline that has allowed IAM to keep thriving and supporting our community’s mounting needs for crisis assistance. Your care and compassion provided food, assisted with housing and utility bills, kept neighbors properly clothed, and more - during a time when the need was greatly exacerbated by the last two years of the pandemic.

Because of your generosity, IAM was able to provide crisis services touches to more than 43,000 children and adults, many of them multiple times. Those service touches represent a 63 percent increase in individuals served compared to 2020. Thank you for helping our own; thousands of residents living at and beneath the poverty line, surviving by God’s grace.

After more than three years of planning, applying for grants, hiring, collecting resale items, navigating permits and supply chain delays during COVID, IAM’s new thrift store officially opened March 1st! It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will hope you will come shop and make donations of quality clothing, jewelry, household goods, furniture and other items to our thrift store.

A big shout out goes to our excellent contractors at Cooper Construction, led by Trey Ford, who have helped us navigate new waters time and again; to the Perry Rudnick Fund at Henderson County Community Foundation, which helped pay for the thrift store’s construction with a $50,000 grant; to a long-time beloved volunteer for his naming sponsorship; and to Bank of America, which provided a thrift store grant of $50,000. The Bank of America grant was awarded because IAM was named its Western North Carolina nonprofit Neighborhood Champion of the Year in 2021. It was the first time BoA has given a Henderson County nonprofit that honor!

Why is the IAM Thrift Store such a big deal for us? For the first time in our 37 year history, IAM will generate an ongoing revenue stream from the thrift store sales. This new revenue source will be an important addition to the generous donations and gifts from individuals, corporate and civic groups, and our local faith communities and allow us to meet the ever-growing need in Henderson County. Every penny the thrift store raises will help fund IAM’s services and operations.

As much as we are hopeful that our Thrift Store will help us meet the growing needs of our neighbors, many of whom have been severely impacted by COVID, we still need your unrestricted financial donations to IAM. This time of year is always a time of year when we see our financial donations drop significantly. We pray you will make a donation to help us during the low giving months as we continue our I Am IAM giving campaign this year!

Blessings,