A Project of Greater Brandon
Ecumenical Ministries, Inc.
Partnering with:
Serving and Assisting
the Homeless and
Needy Back to
Self-Sufficiency
Mission
Vision
The mission of I Am HOPE Café is to use a faith-based approach to meet the health, recovery, and independence needs of the homeless, hungry and needy population of the community in which we live, while striving to serve all with dignity, respect and grace.
Greater Brandon Ecumenical Ministries (GBEM) is an inter-denominational Judeo-Christian faith-based ministry. In our efforts to bring self-sufficiency to those in need, we stress selfless service, unconditional love, and treating others with dignity. All of GBEM’s board, staff and volunteers will reflect our Judeo-Christian love, character and principles.
We are partnering with Metropolitan Ministries to accomplish our more immediate needs and goals; to feed and cloth the homeless and needy on a regular, ongoing basis.
Our longer-range goals are to partner with the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County as well as other faith-based and secular social service organizations to provide the help needed for that person or family to learn, change and provide for themselves.
History
Greater Brandon Ecumenical Ministries, Inc. (GBEM), was started as an outreach project of Emergency Care Help Organization of Brandon, Inc. (E.C.H.O.). E.C.H.O. is a non profit 501(c)(3) organization which has provided food and clothing since 1986. Over the years E.C.H.O. has had the pleasure of providing temporary housing to various homeless families. As the years passed, the number of families has increased.
In December, 2006, an article appeared in the local Brandon News about a Christmas lunch being provided by Cynthia Pinckney and Cynthia Pinckney Ministries, Inc. As a follow up on the article, a Board member of E.C.H.O. was contacted by the Brandon News for comments, and stated, "What needs to happen is for all the various religious organizations to meet and address the growing number of homeless individuals in our community".
In February, 2007, over twenty different religious organizations met and formed the Greater Brandon Ecumenical Ministries, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) non profit charity.
In June of 2008, GBEM found a home with the generosity of the members of the First Baptist Church of Mango. The facility has provided GBEM the means of providing food, clothing and medical assistance to the growing population of homeless.
Copyright 2008-2009 | Greater Brandon Ecumenical Ministries, Inc. | All Rights Reserved