GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For nearly a decade, a house on the northwest side of Grand Rapids has been a hub for teen moms and their kids. This year, Grace's Table will officially become a "home."
Lisa Anderson began the nonprofit to offer the support she longed for as a teen mom.
"Early on in my parenting journey, realizing how important it was to have people surrounding us or that I could reach out to for help. And when I couldn't find that, it was like someday I have to make sure that that exists in our world," Anderson told FOX 17 News. "When I started Grace's Table, it was just for moms to come on Friday night and have dinner together and a place to kind of hang out. And now, we're nine years in, and we have four days a week that we're hosting various classes for mentorship or life skills, we have an educate and empower program where we're actually going into some of our public schools and taking our program there."
At the time, Anderson lived in the home.
The name was coined from a table purchased at a garage sale from a woman named Grace where many of the original gatherings happened.
Over the years, Grace's Table has expanded to serve more families.
In 2018, renovation transformed the downstairs area into a place dedicated to children.
This year, renovations are underway to turn the upstairs into a residential space large enough to house three families.
"A lot of the moms that are coming through our doors, 80% of them have experienced housing insecurity within the last two years," explained Angela Hovermale, Residential Director at Grace's Table. "So it's kind of just the next step to the programs that we're already doing for teen moms in our community."
Anderson said fundraising is underway to secure the remaining $30,000 needed to complete the project.
Once completed, the families will each have their own room and access to a shared bathroom and common areas.
More importantly, it will be a critical part of helping these moms on the next steps toward success.
"It's impossible to look into the eyes of these young women and their children and not see the desire and the hope and the drive that they have. It's right there, they just need someone that's going to come alongside of them and say, I believe in you too," said Anderson. "We're better when we're connected. And that'll keep us going forever."
Anderson was featured as a Pay it Forward Person of the Month in 2017.
To learn more, or to donate to Grace's Table, visit the website.
