TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Local charities can count on a large amount of contributions coming into their coffers this time of year as people are in the holiday spirit of giving.
Their sense of urgency is accelerated by the fact that the end of the year is near, and donations made to nonprofits between now and Dec. 31 are eligible for tax deductions.
Then there is the Christian Neighbor Center, which for decades has been getting by on a shoestring budget composed of financial contributions from a few loyal supporters, plus donations of food and clothing from a handful of individuals and businesses in the capital city.
Operating out of a house at 107 S.W. 14th, on the south fringe of downtown Topeka, the Christian Neighbor Center rather quietly goes about its business of reaching out with a hot cup of coffee, a warm coat and a prayer for anyone who might drop into its location just south of downtown Topeka.
The clientele has included, at various times, the homeless, the mentally ill, recently released inmates, drug addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes.
“All of the above,” said James Kincade, 63, the longtime director of the Christian Neighbor Center. “We welcome everybody. We don’t turn anyone away.”
Kincade himself does the honors in the kitchen, serving meals Tuesdays through Fridays to anyone who might walk through the center’s front door, The Topeka Capital-Journal (https://bit.ly/1sbVGth ) reported.
Much of what is served are leftovers donated by local restaurants, churches or individuals - healthy, nutritious food that otherwise would be going to waste.
Kincade picks up some of the items, with others brought to the center by volunteers.
When he is inside the center, Kincade said he has trained his ear to listen for the honking of car horns. When he hears one, he said, he races out the front door to pick up whatever that person is dropping off.
“Clothes go real fast,” he said of items snatched up by visitors to the Christian Neighbor Center, located a half-block west of S. Kansas Avenue, directly south of the Arab Shrine Temple.
The Bootstrap Program, which provides housing for individuals seeking to turn their lives around by becoming gainfully employed, continues to be in operation at the center.
Bible studies, prayer meetings and church services are “nearly every night of the week” at the center’s storefront chapel, 1405 S. Kansas Ave.
He said people know about the center and frequently drop off items that are left over from their garage sales.
All of the items are given away to others, and no one is charged for the items.
Summer months find the Christian Neighbor Center holding barbecue dinners, and also occasional concerts featuring local Christian gospel musicians.
Through the relationships he has established during the years, Kincade has spread the word about the Christian Neighbor Center to local churches and individuals.
Yet, he said, there is room for so many more to help.
A challenge these days is for the center to find new supporters, Kincade said.
“Lots of our best supporters aren’t with us anymore,” he said. “God has called them home. Now, we need a new generation of supporters.”
Kincade said he would welcome anyone to come and sit down with him over a cup of coffee so he can show what the Christian Neighbor Center is all about and the important work it continues to do in downtown Topeka some 60 years after it was founded by George Eutsler, an early leader of the Topeka Rescue Mission.
“God’s people are keeping us afloat,” Kincade said. “I don’t depend on the government. I depend on God’s people. We’ve been keeping our head above water.”
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Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, https://www.cjonline.com
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