FreshMinistries presented special award at Jacksonville Police Meritorious Awards Ceremony

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office presented FreshMinistries's founder & CEO, The Rev. Dr. Robert Lee, and Communities Empowering Youth director, Michelle Hughes, with a special award Thursday, August 28 for their work in the community and helping the Police Athletic League (PAL).

Recently, FreshMinistries has partnered with JSO to organize a series of neighborhood anti-crime walks in the Eastside, where Sheriff Rutherford, Councilman Johnny Gaffney, area patrol officers, community leaders, FreshMinistries and other local organizations come together to walk door-to-door in the Eastside, promoting trust and cooperation in the community and engaging residents in crime prevention.

But the FreshMinistries-JSO partnership is just one aspect of the 6-Point Community Initiative, which acts in the areas of education, affordable housing, economic development, family strengthening, health and, of course, safety & security – all of which are required for communities to survive and thrive.

FreshMinistries' Communities Empowering Youth initiative has provided $65,000 worth of help and training for PAL to the, allowing them to serve the community better and more completely.

Their East Jacksonville Neighborhood Resource Center on E. 1st St. has become an integral part of the Eastside community, providing not only a place for residents to use computers, apply for food stamps, get help with healthcare, housing, employment and more, but also a place for residents to organize neighborhood events and associations, youth to attend job preparedness training, and parents to learn about school choice programs.

And the Jacksonville Hospitality Institute, also a FreshMinistries initiative, is helping unemployed and underemployed adults get great jobs in the hospitality industry with free job training, helping to keep people off the streets and out of poverty.

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