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"When we go into the homeless camps to give out food or blankets, it is so we can connect one on one with folks, show them dignity and help them become a part of a community that will love them through their struggles. It's all about building relationships and making an impact one heart at a time!" |
- Chris Elrod / Founder of Impact! |
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It all started when Pastor Chris and Denise Elrod - along with a group of folks from their church - decided that they wanted to make an impact in an area of Lakeland, Florida that most people wanted to avoid. The area was full of homeless. addicted and forgotten people. It wasn’t enough just to volunteer with a local charity a few times a year, Chris and Denise felt a calling to live and work among those that needed help the most. To love the unloved, to build authentic community with people struggling with obstacles in life and walk with them through those struggles A small run down old building in the heart of the city’s homeless population was rented and Impact! began opening their doors for folks that had no place sleep or live. They also began to have a weekly gatherings, Bible studies and community events. Week after week the small gathering room was packed with people from all walks of life - alcoholics, middle class families, drug addicts, the homeless, wealthy business owners, college students, prostitutes and blue collar workers barely making ends meet. Some that dropped by were looking for a hand out. Some just wanted to get out of the weather. Still others were looking for hope and a place to belong. All of them found a place of hope, love and community when they walked into Impact!
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Over the past eight years Impact! has fed, clothed and provided shelter for over 10,000 people. Through partnerships with other area rehab centers and relief organizations, Impact! has helped dozens upon dozens of people overcome their addictions, mental challenges and extreme poverty in order to become sober and self-sufficient. In 2018, Impact! began a new chapter in its history by selling the permanent midtown Lakeland buildings and putting more emphasis on going out into the homeless camps, abandoned houses and hidden areas throughout Polk County to help people in need. Through the continued generosity of financial donors and the selfless work of volunteers, Impact! goes where no other local organization goes in order to reach people that no one else is reaching.
Recently, Pastor Chris has begun to focus on a more permanent and sustainable answer for temporary housing options for the homeless. By utilizing converted shipping containers, combined with innovative renewable energy resources, he has developed a series of "villages" that are self-sustainable and will be not need to rely on public utilities to function. Click here for more information about the shipping container villages. |
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