Nonprofit Performance 360 Magazine Vol 4 No 4

TERRY WILLIAMS Executive Office

A Life Inspired

N ehemiah Global Foundation (NGF) is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides services in three key areas of social services to the poor. Hunger Relief: NGF is a regional food bank that receives over six million pounds of quality food annually through the generosity of our national and regional corporate partners. We then distribute this donated food through our regional network of NGF agency partners, including churches and shelters. We are blessed to support over six hundred thousand individuals each year through these partnerships. Supported Living for the Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled: NGF, through Nehemiah Behavioral Health (NBH), provides supported living services as a Medicaid-approved provider. We provide assessments and ongoing counseling, support the disabled in their job and housing search, and provide day programs for adults in a continuum of care. Foster Care andAdoption: As a licensed and certified Child Placement Agency (CPA), NGF recruits, trains and certifies new foster parents, as well as parents who wish to consider adopting foster children of all ages within the state of Colorado. NGF provides therapeutic foster care, which promotes the best results for the kids under our care. As the founder of Nehemiah Global Foundation, I have reflected on the different choices that I’ve made in my business career, and have come to the realization that my life has been inspired by my faith in God via the inner workings of the Holy Spirit in my life. A life inspired by God is a life journey of personal growth, and sacrifice of one’s own

554,000 people, go hungry every day, including 16% of the state’s children. NGF supplies food to the food pantries of seventeen churches, community groups, and rescue missions in Colorado, and twelve pantries in churches and community groups in Nevada. The recipients of this food span the spectrum of families with income at or below the poverty line, making less than $10,000 per year; the so-called working poor, above the poverty line with incomes up to $26,700 per year; refugees from countries such as Kazakhstan, Armenia, Russia, the Philippines, Korea, Togo, and several Latin American countries; and the homeless. Our corporate partners provide high quality, organic and nutritious food, which is an alternative to the high-sodium fast foods that are most affordable to the people we serve. Ninety-five percent of the NGF food bank foods are perishable fruits, vegetables, breads, and dairy-related items, such as yogurts, milk, and various cheeses. When we get canned and boxed items, they are representative of organic, gluten free, and all-natural products. Certified organic products cost 30% more than regular products, and that places them out of the reach of most low-income shoppers. Through our corporate relationship with the Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage chain, NGF receives vitamins, supplements, and personal care items that we distribute through the food pantries. This truly blesses the people with needed vitamins and minerals throughout the year. continued page 39

personal and business pursuits to answer the call of God. I consider the stewardship over Nehemiah Global as one such calling, a call to do something extraordinary for children, youth, and families in need. Nehemiah Global Foundation was founded in June 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the economy was imploding in our state and across the nation. I had not anticipated the need for a food bank serving Colorado and Nevada until it presented itself and my journey to Nehemiah Global Foundation began. My wife, Linda, was teaching a class in natural living and sent me to the grocery store to collect a box of produce she had requested from the store’s director. As I collected that box of food, the store director invited me back for more food the next day and donated enough food to feed ten people. The next day, he gave me food for 30 people, and so on. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was inspired by God to continue on the path of feeding the hungry. It quickly became obvious that we needed to formalize the process of being a food bank. We applied for and were granted a 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation by the IRS. WhoWe Serve According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 41 million Americans, includ- ing 13 million children, go hungry everyday. In Colorado, 10.3% of the population, or

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