Securing Our Future

www.church-at-the-park.org

Church at the Park seeks the mutual transformation of unsheltered people and those who serve them; through relationships, agency partnerships, and tangible resources.

Church@the Park engaged in a capital campaign in 2020 to secure the 1-acre property and the 2,100 square foot building that we currently lease (located at 2410 Turner Road SE) by May 2021.  We have raised $320,500 of our $350,000 goal through community donors, churches, and grant funding.

Help us make our goal by May 1 of 2021 with a one time or recurring gift.

The Navigation Center provided food security for more than 200 individuals a week providing one meal a day and pantry boxes twice a week in partnership with Marion-Polk Food Share. We are a distribution center for sleeping bags, tents, tarps, socks, warming clothes, and hygiene items.  We are offering a “Cash for Trash” program weekly to keep the park clean with the help of those currently camping.  We have served as an Emergency Safe Parking location for 6 vehicle campers since January 1, 2020, and coordinate the Salem Safe Parking Network for 14 sites with a capacity for 80 vehicles and 150+ people sheltered.

We want to give you a sneak peak to what we have planned for 2021.

• Safe Parking - We had 14 locations and help an average of 100 people a night in 2020.  In the next 6 months we should have 20 sites and be able to serve over 150 people.
• Current Navigation Center at 2410 Turner Rd SE will be opened up as a Day Center serving our 100 guests with more case management and resources. 
• We are opening a Resource Center to receive and sort community donations just down the street at 3104 Turner Rd SE.  It will also serve as a 55+ Safe Parking location.
• We will be opening and managing 2-3 Safe Camps to serve at least 100 people.  The first one is actually at the State Fairgrounds in the Pavilion.
• We will complete our first venture with the Women’s Shelter and start looking for our second location.
• Our Volunteer and Workforce Development culture will move from 20 people in both areas to a capacity for 40-50 volunteers and 40-50 employees.