The Way Ministry.
Nominated for Charity of the Year sponsored by Roc Search
The Way Ministry Team.
Grace Gomez, alongside her husband Joe, set up The Way Ministry a decade ago to provide a safe space for anyone in need to come and have some food and be treated with respect and dignity.
She and the ministry have need nominated for Charity of the Year sponsored by Roc Search.
Her nominator said the first Sunday meeting was held at a community hall in Coley when just four people turned up. Today the doors are opened every Sunday at All Nations Church from 4pm to 6.30pm to provide refreshments and a hot meal with pudding for 60 to 70 people.
They added: “Grace has also organised the pick-up of donated food from local retailers and this is all given out to anyone who attends as part of the Community Fridge.
“We would like more people in the community to know about this as there is seriously a huge amount of food to be given away each week.”
Grace also arranges the collection and distribution of clothing and of Reading Festival salvage that can be donated to help anyone in need.
This last Christmas the same church agreed to provide a night shelter, organised by Grace, for the Christmas week and an army of loyal volunteers manned the shelter around the clock for seven days.
“They provided breakfast and dinners, including Christmas dinner, and cheer and a safe space to bed down,” they added,
“It was an enormous privilege to provide food and shelter to those in our town over the Christmas week.
“The Way Ministry continues to intervene in people’s lives where it seems all hope has gone.”
The ministry is looking to provide a year round night shelter where vulnerable people may stay and be safe and need suitable premises to be donated for the purpose.
