The Bridging the Gap Center

​The Bridging the Gap Center is a place where the community will come together to work to break the cycle of poverty in Winston-Salem through a Christ-centered approach that meets the physical, emotional, spiritual and academic needs of our community. 
 
It is an existing food pantry, clothes closet, and backpack food program for children plus the establishment of new programs including after school and summer programs for children, classes to help people rise out of poverty, connections to health care providers, opportunities for leadership experience and training, and the building of relationships across all barriers. It is working toward real PEACE in Winston-Salem.
 
For the PEACE of the city…
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Promote Reconciliation

• by building bridges through relationships and partnerships that cross racial, cultural, educationally and socioeconomic barriers

Educate the Next Generation

• by proving mentoring and tutoring programs to help children succeed academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually

Assist the Under-Resourced

• by proving food, clothing and a “hand up” through a food pantry, clothes closet, weekend feeding program for children and training for adults to break out of the cycle of poverty.

Care for the Well Being of Others

• by providing health care opportunities through partnerships with health care professionals (doctors, nurses, dentists, educators, counselors, etc) to help our community have access to holistic health care.

Equip Servant Leaders

• by providing intentional leadership training through “hands on” experiences

Goal: $250,000

• $175,000 toward purchasing a facility (in partnership with Bridges Church)
• $25,000 toward renovations, furnishings & equipment
• $25,000 toward establishing afterschool and summer programs for children
• $25,000 toward starting a Thrift Store to provide financial sustainability

Fund Raising Dates: June 2019 – June 2029

Forsyth County, NC

• 40% of residents are low income (earn less than twice the federal poverty line)
• 18% of residents live in poverty (NC: 15.4%)
• 25% of children live in poverty (NC: 21.7%)
• 36.7% of schools are low performing

“A 2017 study by two Harvard economists found Forsyth County to be among the worst counties in the U.S. for helping poor children move up the income ladder. We rank fifth worst out of 2,873 counties nationwide. Only four American Indian reservations are below us.” (Forsyth Woman Magazine, April 2019 edition) ​