Mission Statement
The mission of GAP Ministries is simple and concise: Through the empowerment of God, GAP Ministries will provide hope, help, and healing to those in need. We will defend the causes of the orphan, widow, hungry, and naked through practical community service. As we serve together, unity is established and the walls of religion and culture crumble.
Description
GAP Ministries, a 501c3 nonprofit social services agency, has been serving Southern Arizona since 2000 through practical community service in the following areas: Family-style group SPLASH Houses for children 0-18 in the custody of Child Protective Services (CPS); MERGE for teens in CPS care, helping them discover their potential; BOOST Family Resources providing food, clothing and household goods to those in need; Backpack-2-School for children at Title 1 elementary schools; and Holiday of Hope to make Christmas brighter for over 100 children in Child Protective Services.
SPLASH Houses (Spirit-Powered-Love-Aggressively-Shaping-Hearts) are residential homes for hurting children 0-18 years of age in the custody of CPS. GAP has twelve family-style homes with live-in house parents. It is our mission to shelter children who have been abused and neglected and to show them unconditional love and acceptance. We are licensed through the state of Arizona to house up to 108 children, and we care for approximately 200 individual children each year, with teens making up about 50%. The establishment of a healthy family model serves in restoring the value of family and appropriate interaction between children and family members.
MERGE (Maturity-Education-Responsibility-Growth-Excellence) is designed to improve the quality of life of young adults in the custody of Child Protective Services 16-18 years of age by empowering them with the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and practices to live independently in society, and to help these young people discover their potential.
BOOST (Building-Overflow-Out of-Serving-Together) Family Resources provides for the children in GAP's care and also the community at large. GAP distributes thousands of pounds of food each month to individuals and agencies that serve the homeless and families in need. GAP also has a clothing pantry for the children in our care, as well as for families who come to us for assistance. Through both neighborhood and school district outreaches, GAP gives away household goods, paper goods, cleaning supplies, bedding, small appliances and other items to families who are struggling.
Backpack-2-School is a collaborative effort designed to help families in high-risk areas reduce their financial burden at the beginning of the school year, and increase parental and family involvement in the education of their children. In the past 6 years GAP Ministries, in conjunction with school districts, local businesses and civic organizations, and approximately 200 community volunteers, has given out over 30,000 backpacks filled with school supplies.
