How Policy Shifts Are Impacting Our Work—and Why We’re Still Hopeful

Every day, someone asks me how all the changes in Washington, D.C., are affecting both the families we serve and our nonprofit organization. While many discussions and proposed changes are still up in the air, some shifts have already played out—and are impacting us directly.

Most notably, we've lost three sources of grant funding.

One of them was a pass-through grant from UAMS that provided salary support for one of our Care Advocates, who is also cross-trained as a Community Health Worker. Though the funds had already been budgeted and appropriated by Congress in a previous year, the decision was made to abruptly end the grant on March 23. Thankfully, UAMS has generously agreed to continue that salary support—about $2,000 per month—through the end of April. This gives us (and other affected nonprofits) a short window to find alternative funding.

The other two grants were ones we hadn’t yet received but expected to, based on more than 20 years of consistent support. These came through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (funded by FEMA) to help with food purchases and rental assistance for families in crisis or facing economic hardship. While we were always told the funding wasn’t guaranteed, it had reliably come through for the past two decades, ranging from $15,000 to $40,000 annually, depending on a variety of factors.

Will this cause us to shut our doors or cut our services? No, it won’t.

But it is a tough pill to swallow—especially after a difficult fiscal year that began with a tornado damaging our largest funding source, our Rogers thrift store. It’s felt a bit like insult added to injury.

Meanwhile, we’re seeing yet another year of double-digit growth in the number of families turning to us for help. In March 2025, we served 19% more families than we did in March of 2024. Rising housing and food costs are stretching many budgets to the breaking point. Some of our clients are paying more than 60–65% of their income just on housing.

All of this could feel overwhelming—if we didn’t know the rest of the story.

We believe God is at work, and we trust that He will bring glory through even the most uncertain seasons. Scripture reminds us over and over again to walk by faith, not by fear (Deuteronomy 31:6; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 27:1; Philippians 4:6; John 14:27).

So that’s what we’ll do.

We’ll continue living out our mission to serve the hungry and hurting of Northwest Arkansas with dignity and compassion. We’ll keep walking by faith, not fear—trusting that God will provide for His people in His perfect timing.

If you’d like to help us bridge the gap and continue serving families in crisis, consider making a one-time or recurring gift. Despite these setbacks, our team continues to show up every morning with joy, grit, and casseroles.

Come join us on this journey of faith.