Arizona’s Grand Canyon University (GCU), in partnership with CityServe, has given away more than $3 million worth of household supplies, including food, and has helped over 6,500 families survive amid rising inflation, according to CBN News. GCU is the first university in the nation to be a “hub” for CityServe, a network of faith-based nonprofits, corporate retailers, and farm and food supply partners. According to CityServe co-founder Dave Donaldson, the partnership is part of CityServe’s vision for a university-based outreach program to “equip and mobilize students to meet community needs and to help families move from dependency to sustainability.”
GCU CityServe helps a wide range of people in need including homeless veterans, drug addicts, and single dads. The supplies they distribute are also of a wide variety ranging from essentials such as food to items that make a house a home such as furniture. The GCU CityServe HUB manager, Nathan Cooper, shared that a large part of their work is distributing very specific items to families or individuals who have requested them through their POD partners.
According to CBN News, within one year, GCU CityServe has been increasing the number of families they help so much that they have already reached the point of needing a larger warehouse for their supplies. They have had to expand their 35,000 square-foot facility to one that is more than 88,000 square-feet. GCU president Brian Mueller highlighted the incredible work the university has done reaching out to those in need and being able to provide so much for others in just their first year.
GCU CityServe’s program is raising awareness and support for communities across Arizona in need. The impact their work makes on the families and individuals they serve is life-changing, as it is for those volunteering to work the program as well. With more than 2,700 volunteers in its first year, GCU CityServe has much to look forward to as their good work continues to expand.