The story of the Annex that God built is one worth telling.  At April's board meeting it was announced that our warehouse was no longer going to be available after June 1.  What to do?  Within days, BP was apprised of the need and offered a civic and community grant for the sum of the lease of a building.  Our landlord had a place right across the parking lot from the Love INC office he was willing to rent and a lease was signed.  Love INC now has an Annex that is more functional and accessible than ever before.
 
"It's walls are white and clean; there is carpeting on the floor; there are high ceilings and lots of windows."  Phyllis said as she described the place where she will be spending a lot of her time in the future.  Phyllis coordinates both receiving and distribution of donated goods.  She is looking forward to making it an upbeat and lively environment for volunteers like herself to come and assemble kitchen and bath essentials baskets, put together sets of towels and bedding and strategize how and where the donated items will go.
 
The story continues however.  The Annex space needed shelving for all boxes of items for the bathroom, the kitchen and welcome baskets which sat waiting at the call center.  Phyllis shared what He did next. "First, God provided three six shelf units through a supporter who had closed a shop and no longer needed them.  A volunteer took them apart and another volunteer transported.  Two more volunteers reassembled them and filled them with bedding donations."
 
Those shelves filled quickly. Phyllis, who occasionally donates items herself, turned to Craigslist for a bargain and she found one.  There was another shelf of the same kind for a great price, including delivery from Girdwood.  But instead, of receiving shelves on delivery day, Love INC received a phone call.  The owner had been able to sell them locally and had forgotten to tell us the deal was off.  It was really a blessing in disguise.  The night before Phyllis had found another set of shelves for even lessd on Craigslist.
 
"A deal was negotiated for them to be delivered at 5 pm. the next day.  A few minutes later the man called back to say he and his wife like what Love INC is doing and felt they should donate them.  When they came, we noticed they were still assembled!  God used 6 churches, 8 volunteers and 4 donors to accomplish the task."  Phyllis loves telling the story of how God simply chose to go beyond her expectations in getting what she needed to make the Annex functional.
 
God is not done with that process however.  The Annex is such an important part of what happens at Love INC.  The furniture that fills the building today will not be there in a week.  Someone will need that furniture and it will be gone and new donations will take its place. 
 
"The purpose of the annex is to provide a central place to receive donations.  Donations are distributed to neighbors by churches with Gap Ministries and directly by volunteers.  The goal is to always have enough, but not surplus," Phyllis explained.  Essentially, it is a resource to facilitate gap ministries where they lack space or product for ministry.  For example, if a gap ministry is lacking an element (like towels for a bathroom basket or shampoo for a personal care pack), they can receive from the Annex donated supplies from other sources while dropping off collected items for another church's gap ministry.    
 
There is still a lot to be done and much to consider to make the Annex all that it can be.  Shelves and drawers need labels so volunteers can find what they are looking for when assembling boxes and baskets to go out.  People to work with bedding management (putting bedding sets together and organizing them for easy access) would be another answer to prayer.  More shelving and willing hands to assemble it would be such a blessing.  Does God have more shelves waiting in someone's garage or storage unit?  A dolly would be helpful in loading furniture and boxes.  A simple tool kit would make assembling and minor repairs of furniture so much easier.
 
Looking at the bigger picture, there are more things that, when allowed to dream, Phyllis sets her sights on.  Currently New Hope On the Last Frontier generously shares their moving van with us.  How wonderful it would be to have one of our own.  Moving teams, those wonderful men and women with strong backs and willing hearts, who will commit as a team to be available every month to pick up and deliver furniture  Is there a way to utilize the potential space afforded by the cathedral ceilings of the Annex?  God seems to be hinting there might be and it is exciting to see what He has planned with volunteer know-how.  God has already done so much in providing this space, it is exciting to see what else He has in store.
 
 
So Now What?

Of course, storage and mobilization are just the means to the end of providing our neighbors with the furniture and household goods they need to get back on their feet again.  What should be on those shelves? What is needed to meet the needs of those seeking our help?  Phyllis deals with this question every day and has a quick and ready answer, with an important qualifier.  "Everything we receive should be clean, in good repair (or easily fixed) and functional."  
 
What is on the wish list? Are you mentally going through each room of your house wondering if furniture which makes each room look a little cluttered, or which you were considering replacing, is something a neighbor in need could use. Well, room by room, here are the things that would find their way in and out of the Annex like a revolving door. 
 
BEDROOM:  mattresses and box springs (crib to queen), metal frames (taped together with size(s) indicated and all hardware included), dressers of all sizes, nightstands.  
 
LIVING ROOM:  couches, love seats, coffee and end tables, easy chairs, lamps.
 
KITCHEN:  tables, preferably with chairs (all sizes)
 
ASK FIRST:  desks, actual beds (with headboards, foot boards, rails), anything you don't see on the list.
 
Because the Annex space is limited and most neighbors are not in large houses, Love INC provides only items essential to daily living.  There is not enough space for oversized and luxury items.  For that reason, the Annex does not accept TV's, entertainment centers, other extra large furniture pieces, king size beds, futons.  It also does not house any item with only decorative value such as knick knacks, pictures and doilies.  Next month this space will feature the wish list for household items and small appliances that fly off the Annex shelves.