First Christian Church had an empty parsonage waiting to be put to good use. Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance needed a more central and stable location in Ames. In a creative partnership, the two signed an agreement Monday to allow Good Neighbor to operate from the church’s former parsonage at 613 Clark Avenue in Ames.
The ten year agreement will allow Good Neighbor to operate in a downtown Ames location with excellent access to public transportation. Good Neighbor clients will be better able to access the new location than the present location at 3206 South Duff, which has very limited bus service.
Good Neighbor Director Mike Fritz said that the long term agreement is especially welcome since the organization has had 7 different locations in its 16 years of operation.
Good Neighbor is a collaboration of 33 organizations, mostly religious congregations, in the Ames area. Its mission is to provide emergency rent, utility and food assistance in an atmosphere of dignity, comfort and encouragement for Story County residents.
Rev. Mary Jane Button-Harrison said, “We are thrilled to be able to share space with Good Neighbor. Giving a home to an organization that helps so many expresses our core value to minister in the community with God’s healing love, as well as our passion to help address the need for affordable housing in our community.”
First Christian Church is a member congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada – a “Movement for Wholeness in a Fragmented World” – located at 611 Clark Ave., Ames, Iowa. Learn more at www.fccames.org.