Melanie King started Proclaiming Grace Outreach as a way to honor the daughter she lost in a car accident.
Now, more than six years after the death of Jenna Grace King, the project continues to grow in fulfilling the ambitious teen’s dreams of giving back.
Proclaiming Grace Outreach, a nonprofit that serves lower New Kent and upper James City counties with a food pantry, thrift store and home repair work, has purchased about 3.5 acres of land on which to eventually build the Jenna Grace Outreach Center.
With the land acquired, now the organization is turning its attention to fundraising efforts. While PGO is still finalizing plans for a building, King said the estimated cost is between $800,000 and $1 million.
“Our dream – and everything’s a dream, but so many of our dreams have been fulfilled, which is awesome – is to raise that money in two years,” she said.
King started a campaign on what would have been Jenna’s 24th birthday, Aug. 19, to raise $10,000 by Dec. 31, with the promise that, if reached, she would take a polar plunge in the Chickahominy River. The goal has already been met – though King said she will likely increase it again – and a group of board members and PGO volunteers have signed on for the icy swim.
More fundraising projects are in store for the future, with the hope of opening the outreach center in the next few years. Although the building will be in New Kent County, PGO will continue to serve residents in both counties.
“It’s going to allow us to expand our current operations for one thing, and we are desperately in need of that,” King said of the center.
The Thrift Spot, selling clothing and household items, will be able to expand in breadth and hours. It is currently open on Saturdays, but King said it will probably grow one day at a time.
The food pantry, which is currently open the first and third Friday afternoons of the month, could be open more as well.
King is eyeing a set-up that will allow visitors – at least 60 families each time, she said – to shop, rather than having volunteers prepackage bags of food. Having a stable storage space might also allow PGO to accept donations of fresh produce or meat to be distributed to those in need.
The center will have a multipurpose space as well, and King wants to connect with other groups offering programs like GED or money management classes to provide well-rounded assistance to residents in one place.
Building fund donations can be made online through PayPal, or by check to Proclaiming Grace Outreach mailed to 20051 Tabernacle Road, Barhamsville, VA 23011.
PGO has also recently been granted $19,000 of Neighborhood Assistance Program credits. The state program encourages businesses, trusts and individuals to make donations to approved nonprofits, with donors receiving 65 percent of their contribution as a tax credit. Minimum donations for PGO are $500 for an individual and $616 for a business.
Learn more about PGO on its website.
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