Mission Makers
Whether a person lacks food, clothing, or other resources, The Grace Place seeks to meet their needs for God’s glory. The Bessemer, Ala. ministry has a simple mission. “We exist to gather resources and give them away for the glory of God,” explains The Grace Place Director Jason Leight.
The ministry mainly distributes food and clothing, but they also give away household items to people who are in need due to house fires, storm damage, and more, says Leight. The pastor at Eastern Valley Baptist Church, Leight has been the director of The Grace Place for almost three years. He has been involved in ministry in the Bessemer area for 25 years. “I was called by a friend of mine asking if I’d be interested in leading the organization during Covid-19.” He passionately jumped in and helped The Grace Place continue its mission safely continue its mission and grow to meet the demand brought by the pandemic.
Leight shares that the ministry mainly operated with non-perishable food items since they didn’t have a refrigerator. Due to increased demand, Leight started to look for a used refrigerator to meet the growing need of the community but felt the Lord tell him to wait. Sharon White, a volunteer of The Grace Place, went to be with the Lord in April. She requested that her friends and family donate to The Grace Place in her memory. “A few donations started coming in and then more and more,” explains Leight. He reached out to the family to share his gratitude and thought that the donations could go straight to purchasing the much-needed refrigerator. “I thought the donations might pay for a quarter or half of the cost, but they exceeded the needed amount, and I was able to buy an even bigger refrigerator,” exclaims Leight.
The Grace Place is always looking for volunteers like Sharon White was. “Volunteers make The Grace Place happen,” Leight shares. The process to become a volunteer is simple. “There are so many ways to volunteer here including online work, sorting donations, and more.” To learn more, visit www.thegraceplaceonline.com.
-Melissa Armstrong
