Grateful for the Graham Community

This time of year always stirs feelings of reflection for me, as I prepare to gather with family and I think about the children, families, and communities we support at Graham. After a turbulent year, I am holding space for the complex and sometimes dissonant emotions that I feel now and have experienced throughout the year: gratitude, vigilance, joy, and anticipation, to name a few. At this time of the year, I am even more inspired by the Graham community, and recognize the power of community connection that encourages me in life moments and fuels my hope! 

Our mission centers on providing resources that help children, families, and communities lead healthy, joyful, and successful lives. Recent events have reminded me of the Graham community’s steadfast belief in the work we do. When SNAP benefits were paused at the start of November, members of the Graham community pulled together at a critical hour to make sure families got what they needed. I received messages from supporters, funders, Board members, partner organizations, and staff. No matter how these individuals were connected to Graham, everyone who reached out shared a common goal: wanting to provide helpful help™ to families facing food insecurity.  

With you as passionate supporters behind our work, we have been able to do what Graham does best: listen to individuals, families, and communities, and then collaborate toward solutions that meet the need. Because our helpful help™ is unique to each family’s situation, Graham has responded to food insecurity challenges in a variety of ways:  

• We formed a Food Security Task Force, and started the Graham Cares initiative to share community resources and partner with local organizations that can meet food needs 
• We are implementing robust food supports for families and community members, thanks to generous Board member donations and an unexpected grant from the Tiger Foundation
• We re-launched our Thrive Fund to support Graham staff experiencing hardship, thanks to a generous donation from a Board member

We will maximize these meaningful resources as we continue to accomplish our Vision 2029 goals of providing support for family wellbeing, helping youth and families lead healthy, prosperous lives, and further advancing our OneGraham culture.

Your ongoing support makes a life-changing difference for families and communities who face difficult obstacles caused by poverty and racial injustice.

As we head towards the new year, I find comfort in knowing that we will make it through challenging times by continuing to stick together and supporting one another at every turn.