GRACE stands for Giving and Receiving Assistance for our Community’s Essentials
We start with the philosophy that our community’s resources can fill any need in our community.
Giving
We aspire for everything destined for members of GRACE to feel like a gift. While we are no longer entirely a choice-based pantry, we lovingly select, wrap, or display the goods in that way. We have been fortunate to always have enough for all who come to GRACE in need.
The name GRACE comes from the name of our founder Amanda’s only child. When Amanda learned she would have a child, she was overcome with the feeling of grace and named her daughter accordingly. No one needs to prove their merit in order to receive grace from GRACE. It is everyone’s birthright to be healthy, happy, and secure.
Receiving
GRACE relies on the generosity of donors and volunteers. Every week 70-100 volunteers help unpack, store, bag, and distribute up to 16,000 pounds of food and supplies to share with 2,200-3,300 community members.
Our food and supplies are thanks to the G.I.F.T. Table (Give It Fresh Today) at the Summit Farmers Market, the largesse of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, the Summit Achievement Garden, Moms Helping Moms, and purchases from grants and generous monetary donations.
Assistance
GRACE stems from eight months of research and conversations in 2015-2016 with local leaders, agencies, and institutions.
Our first month of Family Fun Nights in August 2016 grew into the weekly GRACE distribution thanks to the Summit Interfaith Council, Christ Church, Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Central Presbyterian Church, and the City of Summit’s Department of Community Programs. Five months into GRACE’s inception, the Junior League of Summit adopted GRACE as a project which gave us the necessary governance and administrative support to stabilize and grow.
In October 2019, GRACE moved from Christ Church to the Cornog Field House, where it flourished. In July 2020, the City Council of the City of Summit unanimously voted to name GRACE a program of the City of Summit. In June 2023 GRACE moved distribution to The Summit Community Center, providing more access to community programs and services that support our neighbors in need.
While GRACE is proud and grateful to be a program of the City of Summit, it is entirely funded by grants and generous donations from the community. When GRACE expresses a need, the community comes to our aid from entities of all sizes.
Community Essentials
What is a community essential? We, at GRACE, believe that to stabilize households facing poverty we must cover more needs than food, shelter, and warmth. At GRACE, we ensure that everyone in our community has the essentials to live, grow, learn, work, and thrive in our community.
This goal, when achieved, can manifest in several ways. It can be as simple as ensuring families have enough fresh produce for all families to consume their recommended 5-7 servings a day, or for a child to have the gear to safely and fully play a sport, or for a laborer to have the boots he needs to gain employment on a worksite.