Love INC Columbia MO

CONGRATULATIONS to Love INC! For Receiving The Kindness In Business Award Among the many businesses and service organizations in Columbia and Boone County that are going the extra mile to help our community, employees, and patrons, your organization is clearly exemplary in helping ensure we all get through the COVID-19 challenge.... We hope you will hold your nomination in as high regards as our committee does. As our personal thank to you on behalf of our Boone County community, we will soon be mailing you a prize package which will include a window cling and certificate for you to display.

Tina got involved in the Love INC Extra Mile program before Covid-19 started, and continued to faithfully work with her coach to take massive steps in improving her finances despite all the extra hurdles that the pandemic caused. She said, "The job goal was a little longer than the originally planned date but it was reached!" This summer, while doing coaching, her need for new stairs to her house became unavoidable; we are so thankful for the volunteers who were willing to make some new ones for her!

Remote Learning Creates Challenges Navigating virtual school is stressful in the best of circumstances. But, what if your situation was already stretched or fragile before you added school responsibilities? This September at Love INC: Together, we have helped homeless families get off the street and into hotels so they would have a place to set up school. One single mom told us, My six-year old is so excited that we have a place to stay, but he didn’t want to share with his ...Zoom class that we live in a hotel. He asked, Mom, when my teacher asks us to share what we did all weekend, is it okay if I say that I played with my baby sister at home? This reflects the trauma many are dealing with as they work through the circumstances of remote learning. With your help we have also assisted struggling parents keep their rent paid and utilities on, find and pay for childcare, and look for work they could do from home. These are the folks you are helping with your support to Love INC: "Thank you for paying my bill. With all the kids at home now, my expenses are way up and there is no way I could have kept my electricity on." "I'm off work due to an injury, trying to help five kids with school, and then my electricity was shut off. I have no idea what we would have done if you had not stepped in." The help with my childcare expenses allowed me to keep my job. I was caught in a bureaucratic snag and needed short-term help. Family Support Division could not subsidize my childcare until they got a statement of my exact work hours but, I work for CPS and they said they could not give me that yet." Thank you for giving me that reference. I’m now making $17 an hour and working from home so I can be with my kids. The partnerships and support created as we Love Columbia Forward are keeping our neighbors going through the pandemic. THANK YOU COLUMBIA for caring!

With the unprecedented and uncertain times we are all facing right now due to COVID-19, we have been unable to secure our annual Over The Edge fundraiser, scheduled for October 10th. We have rescheduled to June 18-19, 2021. We appreciate the enthusiasm and support for this event, and Love INC in general, and we hope you will join us then. Thanks!

The circumstances of the pandemic of 2020 have strained all of us, but the impact on newly unemployed families is devastating. Love INC helps Columbians equip these families to flourish. This is why now, more then ever, is why it's important to "Look up! Love Forward!" Save the date for our 3rd annual Over The Edge event at The Tiger Hotel on October 10, 2020! #LoveForwardComo

Quentin and Rebekah Gulley came to Columbia a year ago to get a fresh start and live near family. Rebekah shared, We wanted our boys to grow up with cousins. Quentin found work but the family struggled to find affordable housing. When Covid-19 hit, they were paying by the week at a local hotel. Suddenly, Quentin’s employer shut down the business and they had no way to pay for their room. They were referred to LoveINC and with help of supporters, we were able to keep them in their room. A month later, they moved into a Love INC Extra Mile transition home. Look for our monthly newsletter One Mail to hear the rest of this wonderful story and how this family is now on their way to a bright and happy future.

Pressing Past COVID 19 So far in 2020 Love INC has provided furniture for 61 families or individuals affected or displaced by COVID-19. These donations were made possible by generous local donors who shared from their own homes.

Lacrasha Brooks poses with her new business license.

Doing the Next Right Thing. Let’s Keep Going! Many of us are asking, What is ours to do? We are considering needed changes on global, national, and community levels but, we are also waking up each day and asking, What can I do today? Here are some stories about our neighbors taking simple steps forward toward the larger goal of a more united, equitable and loving world.

It is amazing how supplies come to Love INC just when they are needed most. Today, staff from Nanova Biomaterials, Inc., delivered 3 cases of their Advanced Hand Sanitizer to be distributed to our clients. We are so grateful for their generosity and proud to say we have another new partner to help us help our neighbors in need. On behalf of the hundreds of people who will be so thrilled to have these hand sanitizers, THANK YOU Nanova Biomaterials, Inc.

Despite homelessness, the lack of transportation, and no supportive community, Michel decided to trust God for what felt like the impossible - a free car. This could not only be her place to live but could also be her key to getting a job and going back to school for Christian Counseling; however, God had even bigger plans. Not only did she leave our office this week with a free car but she also left with an address to call her own and a connection with a professor at the college she had begun pursuing months ago! Ironically, the professor is one of the co-founders of Tiny House Ministries - the ministry providing her with her own home! We love how God works at Love INC. He really does make the impossible become reality.

Love INC supports the upcoming Juneteenth Freedom Day being held Friday at 11AM-12:30PM in the Karis Church parking lot. As a community we want to celebrate this momentous occasion in a safe way during this pandemic. Even though a free event, please register on line so that they can keep track of expected numbers for social distancing purposes. Space is limited. Here is the link to sign up and celebrate: https://comocelebratesjuneteenth.com

Novice and advanced chefs and cooks, we need you! Visit this site www.thecommoningredient.com to not only submit your best recipe but also read some best secrets that you won’t find in a cookbook. #TheCommonIngredient

Please take a minute to check out The Common Ingredient project (www.thecommoningredient.com)inspired and created by Ann Deaton. This project invites community members to contribute recipes to this site. By employing the notion of LOVE that surrounds the preparation and serving food now is a good time to remind ourselves and our community to respond to the needs in our community. Love INC is honored to be showcased on this site and we invite you to submit your special recipe. Your friends and neighbors can use the recipes and while doing so think about making a donation. Love INC has served so many more homeless families and others who are struggling and need help. LOVE is the answer and we all need each other.