Donor Spotlight – Flat River Outreach Ministries

For Bruce and Linda, giving back is a way of sharing what God has blessed them with.

“God made me for a purpose…and that purpose is to love God and serve Him and to love people and serve them,” Bruce said.

Over their 13 years of marriage, they’ve lived out that purpose as active volunteers in their church and local nonprofits, caring for their family, and fostering community through Bruce’s music and Linda’s piano teaching.

For a season before Bruce and Linda married more than 13 years ago, Linda was a single mom. She utilized thrift stores to stretch her dollar and purchase clothing for her and her three daughters, first learning about FROM during this time.

“Through the love and support of others you get through those times,” Linda said. She said you never forgot those times, and she’s thankful to be a blessing to others going through difficult seasons like she did.

Bruce learned about FROM at his church, nearly two decades ago, and has partnered with us as a volunteer and financially over the years since.

“The faith-based community service efforts that were going on just spoke to my heart,” Bruce said.

They both appreciate how FROM meets needs like housing, food, clothing and other basic needs right here in our community.

“When our basic needs are met, then we can become who we’re meant to be, who we’re created to be,” Linda said.

When FROM launched our affordable and supportive housing project, they joined as monthly givers. Giving monthly, they shared, is an opportunity for them to be consistent and give more because they can spread it out.

“By us being consistent, [FROM] can make future plans and rely on an income,” Linda shares.

Giving back helps support work being done to meet basic needs in the community and make a difference to others.

“If Lowell is a community that gives to its citizens to meet their basic needs, what better thing can we do? Our community is better for it,” Linda said.

My wife Callie and I have lived in Lowell practically our entire lives. We have seen firsthand how FROM (Flat River Outreach Ministries) changes lives through food security, community support, affordable housing, and so much more. We met when I moved to Lowell at six years old and grew up together in the First Baptist Church of Lowell, where we participated in Food Fight through our AWANA program and other fundraisers through the church.

Our families volunteered over the years at FROM’s food pantry or Mobile Food Pantry. As we grew older, dated, and got married, we became increasingly involved with FROM. During medical school, I volunteered in FROM’s thrift store during breaks and was eventually invited to join the FROM Board of Directors. The more involved I became with FROM over the years, the more passionate I became about its impact within the greater Lowell community. And as Callie and I became blessed with a comfortable income after graduating from medical school, we made it a point to give back. We wanted to support the community that made us who we are and contributed to our growth together as a couple.

We joined FROM as monthly partners to support their affordable and supportive housing program. FROM’s monthly giving program, the Firm Foundation, made our donation process convenient and automatic, allowing us to routinely contribute with ease and consistency. And continuing to work with and donate to FROM has only increased my passion for the organization as I witness real-world stories of lives changed because of FROM. To me, the construction of new affordable housing units has been one of the greatest testaments to FROM’s impact in the community, and it is incredibly rewarding to Callie and me that we can play a small part in that impact. We invite you to learn more about the Firm Foundation Monthly Giving Club and consider joining us to make an even bigger impact on our community!