Meet the Need Development Corporation was founded by a group of friends who had a desire to help those in need and was incorporated in December 2004. The friends, who became the board of Meet the Need, Inc., started off with forty dollars from a returned check made good from one of the member’s garage sales and a big dream God placed in their hearts.
The dream needed a source of funding. The best option seemed to be to open a thrift store and flea market. After searching for a large building that could be used for retail space, but was also affordable, 1302 N. Jesse James Rd. was chosen. Then the hard work of opening a store with very little funding began. Meet the Need Flea Market and Thrift Store was opened on March 2nd, 2005. The journey of reaching out to the community and providing assistance began out of an office in the store.
Assistance programs continued to grow and so did opportunities. The building was purchased in July 2009. However, three months later all but 3,000 sq. ft. of the building burned to the ground. After much consideration, the board decided to proceed with rebuilding. As long as it was possible with the original loan amount. While the maximum amount of insurance had been obtained, it was still much less than the $600,000 estimated to rebuild. Things did not look good, but after much prayer by many, God made a way. Patrick Grass of Patrick Grass Custom Homes stepped forward to be the general contractor and several other companies joined him in donating materials and time. Miraculously, the burned 13,900 sq. ft. was rebuilt for less than the original loan, with the grace of God, and the generosity of others. Many people stepped up to help make it happen. It was truly a joint effort of volunteers, churches, organizations, and businesses.
Meet the Need Assistance Center is positioned to help more people than ever in its new location in the south section of the building. With private office space and an enlarged food pantry, as well as space for case work, the future looks bright for those needing assistance in Ray and Northern Clay counties. And the faith of the volunteers is bigger than ever! And the journey continues.
Opportunity Cafe and Coffee is our newest program, offering jobs, training, and community support.