Get Involved!

Many of you are probably looking for a creative way to get involved with 5-2 Ministry and the Southeast Gwinnett Co-Op. Well, you’re in luck! There are two opportunities to get involved and help to support the co-op.

On April 17, 2010 the Southeast Gwinnett Co-Op will be hosting the first annual Meet the Need 5K. Runners are required to raise a minimum of $25 in sponsorships for their entry fee and encouraged to raise more if possible. $12 of this amount will be to cover the cost of the race and then the remaining $13 and any additional money raised will go towards the Southeast Gwinnett Co-Op. The race starts at 9:00 a.m. and will begin in the co-op parking lot. Not a runner? That’s okay! You can walk too! Runners and walkers of all ages are encouraged to join us, so please feel free to bring the whole family! For more information please go to the following website: http://www.segwinnettcoop.org. You can register here as well as find more information about the race and download the sponsorship form.

Maybe something with wheels is more your cup of tea? Perfect! On June 5, 2010 the Southeast Gwinnett Co-Op will also be sponsoring the One Can charity bike ride to raise additional money for food purchases at the co-op. There are two cycling distances, 30 miles and 62 miles, so choose the one that is best for you. There is a registration fee of $25. All of the proceeds from this ride will go towards food purchases for the co-op, and some of the money raised will go to 5-2 Ministry who in return will maximize the amount of food purchased from your donations. The ride will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will start at Lifetime Bikes in Loganville, GA. For more information and to register please go to the following website: http://www.unislibris.com/1canformpage.html.

Please take time to consider participating in one of these events if you are physically able to. If you can’t participate, please consider making a donation to support someone who is participating. Every little bit helps! Your involvement will be greatly appreciated not only by the Southeast Gwinnett Co-Op and 5-2 Ministry, but by the growing number of families in our community who need our help to provide food for their families.

We're on Facebook and Twitter!

We're very excited to let you all know that you can now "Become a Fan" of 5-2 Ministry on Facebook, and you can also follow us on Twitter! If you use either of these two services, please check us out! We will be updating frequently with weekly shopping results and other tidbits of information, and we think you will love hearing about what God is doing through this ministry!

To "Become a Fan" on Facebook please click here.

To follow us on Twitter please click here.

Open Doors

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

Have you ever experienced something in your life that came together in such a magnificent way, a way in which you could never have anticipated or orchestrated on your own, that there was absolutely no doubt in your mind that God alone was responsible for the entire set of circumstances?  Details had been taken care of before you even thought about needing to take care of them, people were available and ready to help before you even realized there was a need, financial resources were in place from resources you never anticipated having, and the list goes on....

Before this ministry was even begun, we started asking a lot of God. He had granted us a wonderful vision, but we needed a plan!  We needed people!  We needed coupons!  We needed money!  As we have sought His plan for 5-2 Ministry, God has provided each of these things, and more. The procedures we have put in place with His guidance are working beautifully.  He has prepared people's hearts for this ministry long before they have been approached and asked to help, and volunteers are eagerly stepping forward and serving.  Just when I think we won't have enough coupons available to make our planned purchases for a given week, someone shows up and hands us a HUGE stack of coupon inserts.  And when I wonder if we will have enough money to make purchases with all of the coupons we have, funds are made available not only through the co-op who we are now partnering with in our purchases, but also through individuals who God has blessed with incredibly generous hearts.  God is not only opening doors...He's flinging them WIDE open!

Since its inception in November, 2009, 5-2 Ministry has donated 2,467 items to the Southeast Gwinnett Co-op.  The total retail value of these items was $6,780.85; however, 5-2 Ministry's cost was only $2,258.54: a 67% savings!  We are currently in the process of expanding our efforts outside of the Cornerstone Sunday School Class at Snellville UMC.  We are seeking to involve more of the church as a whole and God is blessing our efforts here as well.  Other churches are also beginning to hear of our efforts and to show interest in beginning 5-2 Ministry at their own churches!  We are connecting with cashiers in grocery stores and customers in grocery store lines and telling them about what we are doing.  What a wonderful opportunity to witness!

What an honor it is to serve such a mighty and awesome God.  I can't wait to see what doors He will open next!

True Joy at Christmas

Typically, I am unable to be a part of the delivery of our 5-2 Ministry purchases to the Southeast Gwinnett Co-op.  Because of my work schedule I am not able to make it to the co-op during the times that they are open to receive food donations, but we have been blessed with a faithful volunteer (thank you, Dawn) who comes by every Monday morning to pick up the items we have to donate and delivers them for us.  She is a lifesaver!  However, this week I am enjoying a little time off from work, and I was actually able to make two deliveries this week.  There is no way to express the feeling that came over me as I made my first delivery:  As I received a tour of the facility, Sherre pointed out to me that some of the items that they needed so desperately were exactly the items which we had donated.  The co-op was completely out of cereal for their families.  We delivered 32 boxes.  There was no toilet paper.  We brought 16 rolls. Amazing!

Today I had the pleasure of making another delivery from the shopping list we compiled at our meeting last night.  Again, all of these were items which the co-op had been completely out of.  The volunteers at the co-op truly love the families they serve, and they were extremely grateful to receive our donation so that more of their needs could be met. We took them shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, pancake mix, sugar, mayonnaise, crackers, instant potatoes, cooking oil, ketchup, and napkins: in all, 134 items worth $274.55 on which we spent $93.73--a 66% savings!

Today I am thanking God for the privilege of being a part of 5-2 Ministry. Because of all of the faithful servants who have given so much of themselves in support of our efforts, 5-2 Ministry has already served many families in a very short period of time.  God has reminded me again that it is when we live for Him that we receive true joy, and through this ministry I have certainly experienced TRUE joy this Christmas.

Blessings to you all, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

News worth sharing...

Although 5-2 Ministry is just beginning and is currently in its "infancy" stage, the results we are seeing through God's blessings on our efforts are anything but small.  In a very short period of time, we have seen incredible results, and even though I knew things were going well, I was amazed to receive this email from Leslie Pender, who has graciously volunteered her time to serve as treasurer for 5-2 Ministry:

Please pass this on to everyone. We have purchased $ 493.11 worth of groceries since November 17 and have only spent $160.75 for those groceries! We have saved between store sales and coupons $ 332.36. I think this is AMAZING. We serve an AWESOME God!

AMEN!

Week 1 results!

After several weeks of planning and preparation, our first group of volunteers gathered on Monday night, scissors in hand, to clip coupons and compile shopping lists for the first week's shopping trips for 5-2 Ministry! As everyone went through stacks of coupons which have been generously donated over the last few weeks, we anxiously anticipated the results of our first week's efforts.

Over the next couple of days, our shoppers headed to the local grocery stores to purchase the items for this week's donation to the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry.  The results were outstanding!

This week, we will be donating the following items:15 boxes of Rice Krispies cereal, 14 boxes of Ritz crackers, 10 boxes of Bisquick, 6 pouches of instant potatoes, 6 cartons of Ramen noodles, 10 large jars of jelly, 14 cans of evaporated milk, 3 jars of mayonnaise, 11 cans of frosting, 30 envelopes of gravy mix, 8 bottles of all-purpose cleaner, and a deoderant.  And we are just getting started!

If you are wondering how all of these items translate in terms of dollars spent, we were able to purchase all of these items for a combined savings of 74%!  In other words, for the $290.04 worth of goods purchased, 5-2 Ministry spent a total of $75.36! 

Thank you so much to everyone who has enthusiastically supported this ministry.  God has truly blessed us with an effective way to minister to the needs of others, and we look forward to continued success through His awesome power as we move ahead.

Welcome!

Welcome to 5-2 Ministry's home on the web! We have created this blog as a way to help you stay informed about this ministry and its purpose, as well as to provide a means to obtain information about what God is accomplishing through 5-2 Ministry in our community.

Through God's divine blessing, 5-2 Ministry exists to provide abundant food and necessities to those in need through donations to the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry. 5-2 Ministry was born from a desire to respond to God's blessings in our own lives by serving those who are in need in our community. We feel that He is guiding us on a path which will enable us to multiply our resources in a way which will benefit many families who are currently struggling to put food on their tables.

As this ministry begins, we are blessed to have the support of the Cornerstone Sunday School Class at Snellville United Methodist Church. This group has been amazingly supportive of the efforts to get this ministry off the ground. From the very beginning, their enthusiasm and their willingness to do whatever it takes to make this effort succeed has been overwhelming. They have responded not only with financial support, but also through donations of grocery coupons and volunteer hours. People are cheerfully signing up to clip coupons, shop, and deliver groceries to the co-op, and through them God is meeting each need of this ministry which has been lifted to Him. We have already seen prayers answered as individuals have stepped in and volunteered to use their time and talents in key areas where they were crucially needed, and God's timing has been perfect in every circumstance. We are expecting great things to happen as He continues to work through these willing servants!

As we all know, there are many among us who are facing hardships right now. As 5-2 Ministry begins, please pray that God will continue to give us the discernment to know the path he intends for this ministry to take, and the wisdom and resources to enable us to follow that path. Please also pray for the volunteers who are giving so generously of themselves to make this a success. Most importantly, though, please pray for the families whose lives will be touched through 5-2 Ministry and that through our efforts, there will be abundant food available for these precious children of God.