FIRM is richly blessed to have a facility like we do in South Fresno. FIRM’s facility is located directly across the street from the Summerset Apartment community, which is home to a large concentration of refugee families and elders. This makes our facility a great asset to the work that we do. Many refugee families do not have access to reliable transportation, so they are able to simply walk across the street for assistance or to participate in many of the great programs that we offer. Our facility was purchased through the generous support of individuals and churches in 2001.
While owning a facility such as ours is a great blessing, there are also many challenges that come along with this ownership. Our building is over 60 years old and we are facing many challenges that make our ability to serve the community all the more difficult. Our facility has many air conditioning/duct work issues and plenty of wear and tear from decades of programs. In our community room for example, we only have a swamp cooler, which makes meetings/programs during the summer almost unbearable. We have bathrooms in disrepair, single pane windows (which make it very expensive to heat/cool the building), flooring in need of replacement amongst plenty of other facility “issues”.
I know that FIRM’s community is deeply invested into the work that we do. I also know that God will provide the necessary help and resources for us to begin the process of keeping this facility in usable condition. At one time, this community came together to help purchase this building and I am asking the community once again to help us with this challenge. If you have skills, materials or other resources that could help us begin to update our building please contact me as I am working on a plan to get this project started! If you do not have skills, materials or other resources, please pray for us as we embark on this journey.
Peace and Love,
Zachary D. Darrah