Encompass Ministries / Papas Pantry

The mission of Encompass Ministries is to help people get on their feet, equipped with the tools to get on their feet and off government and social service assistances. We want them to succeed in life and become great community citizens and role models for their children and even grandchildren. This has become harder and harder for families during the recent inflationary years. Founded in 1998 as a food pantry, the ministry name was Papas Pantry. Through the early years of taking food to peoples homes, we realized that taking food to people was the easy part. There were very real underlying circumstances to WHY people could not afford to feed their families. Mostly, it was that people needed jobs. We also discovered a great need to teach people how to manage money once they did have an income. Stability training began then in living rooms and kitchen tables. We saw, firsthand, that these strategies worked, and people no longer needed help from food pantries or social services. Years later, in our 25th year of service, with thousands of families (if not a million) in our rear view mirror. Many of those who have come through our doors have become like family. Thats what happens when you walk side by side with someone going through a crisis. This is why we exist. 2023 Statistics:28,966 People fed8,656 Children fed341 Organization Pick UpsApprox 1.2 Million Meals Provided5,748 pounds of pet food given

The bi-monthly full color magazine, "My Community Spirit, Encompass Ministries Advocacy piece, continued to be published. Stability training modules, Christian family living articles, client challenges and success stories, as well as community training opportunities remained to be the content and focus.

Over and above the regular in-house, individual person/family/client food assistance and training, Encompass Ministries is/has been partnered with a variety of other non-profit organizations that help people get on their feet. Strategic partnerships include several Drug and Alcohol Recovery Programs and At-Risk Youth organizations. Stability and Life Skills modules have been taught at several of these organizations.