NRC MISSION AND OVERVIEW
Who We Are:
Our vision: A thriving, inclusive Greater Fulton.
Our mission: Neighborhood Resource Center strengthens families. We build relationships, sharing resources, and developing skills to enhance lives in Greater Fulton.
We are an educational and cultural center fostering personal growth and community change in Greater Fulton, an impoverished community in Richmond’s East End. We were formed in March 2002 as a response to the underlying conditions of low-educational attainment and poverty in the community.
In February 2004, a dedicated group of volunteers purchased the old vacant community post office and, with the help of supporters and friends, transformed the building into a vibrant community center. In January 2005, we officially opened with an after-school tutoring program, GED classes and an early youth literacy program. For more than two decades, we have been THE resource for the Greater Fulton neighborhood.
What We Do:* (With Modifications Due to COVID-19)
We build individual, family and community capacity through our vital Core 5 program areas:
Community Education- We provide an out-of-school time and summer camp programs for youth, kindergarten to middle school , including cooking classes in NRC’s commercial kitchen, summer Jr. Iron Chef cooking competition, and gardening classes in NRC’s Learning Garden.
Community Nutrition – Youth and adults learn healthy lifestyle skills and eating habits though cooking, and gardening classes held in our sustainable learning garden and our free summer youth lunch program. We now offer a gardening club and Garber Street Garden opportunity. Our food pantry has a nutritionist making sure we are offering only the healthiest of food offered through Feedmore.
Community Financial Opportunity- Through our NRC Works program, adult neighbors are provided with employment placement and career improvement services, financial education and coaching, and access to public benefits/income supports.
Community Organizing – We serve as the convening agency for Greater Fulton’s Future, a multi-year neighborhood revitalization initiative.
Why We Do What We Do:
The community of Greater Fulton is one of Richmond, Virginia’s most poverty-stricken neighborhoods. 48% of our residents twenty-five and older lack a high school diploma or equivalent. Low educational attainment translates into low paying jobs. 41% of our families live on less than $15,000 a year.
4,625 people, including 1,060 youth call Greater Fulton home. We are a low income, low wealth community. Many of our families are one medical crisis or major car repair away from crossing over the threshold into severe poverty. The lagging economy continues to take a toll on our families’ ability to achieve economic stability as they continue to struggle to secure the basic needs of housing and food. Job mobility and transportation options are limited here in the community. There is no grocery store, bank, school, library, or even a post office!
How We Are Making A Difference:
We are the only place where residents can come to enroll their students in an out-of-school time and summer camp programs, have access to healthy food opportunities, work with an employment and/or financial coach, receive case management services, utilize computers, telephones and fax and copy machines, enjoy reading the newspaper or just gather with fellow neighbors. We are the place to be. We are THE resource for the community.
In 2017, we provided services to 1800 individuals from the neighborhood, which included:
• Serving 1,800 community members
• Mentoring 38 Out-of-School Time students
• Cooking 22,080 healthy meals to youth
• Exposing over 70 residents to our Garden Program
• Handed out 48,000 lbs of food at the food pantry
• Placed 36 members in job placements
• Educated 96 attended financial classes
• Hosted free tax preparation = 125 returns
• Provide case management for 240 residents
• Engage 102 volunteers (Interns / Indv. & Corp.)
• Launched Montessori to serve up to 55 students
How You Can Make an Impact:
($491,000/240 operating days=$2100)
It costs us $2100 a day to provide services to 100 of our youth and adult neighbors.
Our staff is the key element which makes our programs successful. 77% of our budget goes towards salaries and benefits. We operate on a small staff of seven full-time and 6 part-time individuals to implement all of our programs.
$25,000 would cover 2 weeks of operating costs.
$50,000 would cover 6 weeks of operating costs.
$75,000 would provide 2 months of operating costs.