______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ One of the area's top 10 non-profits as voted by readers of Lynchburg Living magazine

We hope your year is full of promise, possibilities, and purpose. As we consider what lies ahead, please watch this video that captures our "vision" for 2020.

News By the Numbers:  6080 pounds (3 TONS!) of clothes went home with 282 neighbors during the seven days of our "pop-up clothing giveaway" last month. Another 3 tons is being sorted so we can do it again soon. 5600 dollars were raised on Giving Tuesday. 36 percent of those helped by Food for Families are children. 275 people interacted with the Community Resource Center in one recent month. 58 adults graduated from the various courses offered last year through the Life Skills Institute . 850 bags of food are currently distributed each week to public school students by Food for Thought. 5 places where those bags go are to Head Start pre-schoolers in the Burg and Amherst County. On the other end of the age spectrum, help is given for pantries run by Randolph College, CVCC, Liberty, and UL. 2 schools in Campbell County are now receiving bags (Leesville Road and Tomahawk) sponsored by Timberlake United Methodist Church, and we need more church partners (or businesses or civic groups), both in the city and as we extend our reach into surrounding counties.

Introducing: Our New Computer Lab! Imagine learning how to type your own resume and browse the internet to learn interviewing skills. The Life Skills Institute can now offer a hands-on basic computer course to people for whom using a computer was as foreign as another language.

The equipment was donated by Liberty University, and Mark Lindy's team at Digital One Technology on Fort Avenue wired it and installed internet service at practically no cost! A huge thanks to LU and Digital One for believing in our Mission.

And... Here's the Sink!

In October the Life Skills Institute received a new stove and microwave to help teach good kitchen skills as part of the Home Essentials class. Following that news someone generously donated a new sink, complete with faucet and countertops!

All we need now is a cabinet maker and a plumber! LSI is beginning the third Home Essentials course, consisting of eight classes, starting January 6 with funding provided by the City of Lynchburg.

"There is no other adult educational space available like Park View's." - Keith Cook, Virginia Career Works

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