Neighbors In Need
Eastern Area Community Ministries is celebrating 50 years addressing human needs in eastern Jefferson County. EACM aims to help residents with food, utilities and housing concerns while providing assistance to neighbors who need it most.
“We will do anything that helps someone struggling with their basic needs or having a good, quality life,” says Carrie Gerard, executive director. “We partner with all kinds of organizations and community groups that help us put on different programs. It really takes a whole village to do what we do.”
EACM, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, provides help and services to those living east of the Watterson Expressway and north of Interstate 64, including areas such as Middletown, Lyndon, Eastwood, Northfield and Prospect. Services include financial assistance for basic needs, food pantries, diaper closets, financial literacy courses and home-delivered meals. EACM is one of 13 ministries that make up the Association of Community Ministries, which serves all of Jefferson County, and is the only network of its kind nationwide in a metropolitan city.
More than 30 churches are part of EACM, including Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist congregations. Gerard says while the churches have their differences, they come together to help those in need.
“It’s so important right now that we have this example of churches from different varieties coming together for a common purpose,” Gerard says. “They don’t all agree on a lot of things but they all agree our neighbors shouldn’t be hungry. We have these group meetings and individuals from all the churches talk about how we can do this better. In so many places you don’t have diverse groups like this coming together like they do.”
Eastern Area is the only community ministry that has a multicultural program, which includes free English classes and preparation for the U.S. citizenship test. The classes are for those whose native language is not English and who wish to improve their abilities to read, write, speak and understand the language.
“We love that we get to help our newest neighbors integrate into American culture,” Gerard says. “It’s fun to help them learn our customs and the logistics of being an American. It’s truly a way to help people learn the day-to-day aspects of living in Louisville. We have over 100 students who are learning English and experiencing these other programs that help make them feel more comfortable.”
The home-delivered meals program is also unique to EACM and provides affordable meals delivered right to residents’ doors. While mostly targeting senior citizens, the food program also helps those who are rehabbing from surgery, moving to a new home, suffering from an illness or injury, or welcoming a new baby into the family. The program charges $13 per meal and isn’t just for those who are economically unstable.
“This is a good, prepared meal that gets delivered by a volunteer who can make sure everyone is answering the door and looks OK,” Gerard says. “We’re hoping long term this will grow and help fund our other programs. It’s a needed service and we provide it countywide. If you participate in this, you’re also giving back by supporting other programs.”
Gerard says people are surprised to learn the ZIP codes EACM serves have some of the largest eviction and utility disconnection rates among the EACM.
“You don’t see what’s happening behind closed doors,” Gerard says. “Folks are struggling to manage their bills. It’s those who at the end of the month had something unusual happen with their car or paycheck, and that can lead to a utility disconnection or loss of food. That can sometimes tumble and get worse and worse. We just don’t know it’s happening because it’s too hidden.”
While each group in the EACM works independently, they all come together regularly to discuss challenges in their specific neighborhoods and ways to better assist the community as a whole.
“We work extremely collaboratively,” Gerard says. “All the executive directors meet monthly and talk about joint initiatives we are working on. We’re making sure administratively we’re fulfilling all the duties of different grants and how we can get our message out to more partners. We have a common database where we can see the impact of all our work and track our services as people move. We definitely work together on a lot of levels and constantly are in communication with each other about how we can do things better.”
There are many ways to get involved with EACM. More than 200 volunteers work alongside staff members to support its mission, including those who work special events and others who are in the office several times a week. Gerard says she is excited to help celebrate volunteers all year long.
“We have more than 40 volunteers who have put in more than 10 years of consecutive service,” Gerard says. “They’re as much part of the team as our staff and we can’t wait to celebrate them and make a big deal about the family we have become. We could not do what we do without the incredible core of volunteers we have.”
Gerard says the community has proven its willingness to step in and help those who are in need, especially in times of crisis.
“What’s so beautiful is that we are micro-local and can respond to what is happening on the neighborhood level,” Gerard says. “That’s really special. These are our folks and we are working together to make sure everyone has what they need. If the community has better stability, we all benefit from that.”
For more information on EACM and how to get involved, visit eacmonline.org.
