DETROIT – Over 40 years ago, members of Central United Methodist Church began offering bag lunches to people in need twice a week.
Last year, the NOAH (Networking, Organizing and Advocating for the Homeless) Project provided 40,355 meals to the hungry.
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The NOAH Project was formed in 1999 when the church partnered with Family Service, Inc. and began providing social services and physical health counseling. During the winter of 2014, the NOAH Community Center was created, and the bag lunch program expanded to include four days, Mondays to Thursdays.
The project is part of the Central United Methodist Church of Detroit Community Development Corporation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
The mission of the NOAH Project “is to empower low-income and homeless Detroiters to achieve stability by serving as the first step on the journey to self-sufficiency.”
The project now includes not only the bag lunch program and the community center but social services and wellness counseling.
The community center provides computer access, as well as programs on how to use computers and create a resume, make an email account and fill out job applications.
Low-income people also have a chance to learn about and get a bike through the community center’s Earn-A-Bike program. In partnership with Back Alley Bikes, the nonprofit associated with The Hub of Detroit bike shop in Midtown, the program teaches participants how to take apart and repair a donated bike that they get to keep.
The community center offers a place for homeless people to learn art, as well. Through a partnership with First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, “Art & Soul helps restore dignity among homeless persons in Detroit by inspiring pride and purpose through self-expressive art,” according to the NOAH Project website.
Participants can learn pottery, painting, knitting, sewing, beading and other art forms.
Support groups, including Narcotics Anonymous, are also provided at the center.
The NOAH Project helps people in need become self-sufficient through social services that provide referrals for food, clothing and shelter; assistance navigating the process of finding housing; and help with transportation and accessing substance abuse services. The social services also aid people in obtaining identification, such as birth certificates and state IDs.
The project also allows the homeless to have access to health care and education.
The Florence and Paul Marback Wellness Center is staffed by retired nurses who volunteer their time to provide care to the homeless, as well as help them with prescription payments and basic medical supplies.
Volunteers are needed to assist with the bag lunch program and community center programming. Groups and organizations can also sign up to sponsor a lunch.
For more information about donating time, money or items to the NOAH Project, visit noahprojectdetroit.org/get-involved.