Hosting Weeks beginning March 2, and November 9, 2025

Hooray! We have the opportunity to host families again at First Gilbert! Please join in the fight against homelessness. We will need a lot of assistance to ensure that these families are taken care of, please help in any way that you can. We will need people to help prepare our rooms before they arrive and to clean up the rooms after they leave and set them back up for Sunday School. We will need overnight hosts and kitchen serving and clean-up crews. We will need dinners for every night. This year we are adding breakfast on Saturday and Sunday for our guests. As you can see, we need a lot of help, so please consider where you can help. 

The Partnership: First Gilbert and Family Promise

Did you know that Family Promise of Greater Phoenix rescued 396 children and adults from homelessness in 2019 and beyond?  Over 12,203 shelter nights were provided through the 54 congregations that allowed families to sleep safely and warmly. 4,800 volunteers provided warm meals, clean sheets and blankets, and loving hospitality. Most exciting, 89% of parents were employed during their stay with Family Promise resulting in an average of 43 days spent with Family Promise before returning to sustainable housing. 

As a partner congregation, First Gilbert helps to host up to 4 families.  We need volunteers to set up and break down sleeping rooms, provide food for dinners, serve as overnight hosts, and do laundry. To find out how you can help, stop by the Missions table on the patio between services. Please consider joining us to give these families the hand-up that they need to get back to self-sufficiency. 

We need additional volunteers to join this labor of love, especially as overnight hosts. Give it a try! Hosts get a good night’s sleep on a comfy air bed! 

More about Family Promise

In Operation since 2000, Family Promise – Greater Phoenix has provided more than just shelter for families. For the past 15 years, the programs at Family Promise have helped over 500 families. These programs have enabled families to move from homelessness to self-sufficiency. 

The mission of Family Promise of Greater Phoenix is to reduce homelessness in greater Phoenix by helping homeless families attain self-sufficiency. 

Family Promise gives families the tools and training to care for their children, find employment and housing, and become independent and successful. They strive to provide a safety net for children and their families before they drop into a cycle of endless shelters, loss of school attendance, unemployment, family instability, and foster care. 

Family Promise provides basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter, but also provide a safe, encouraging, and constructive environment for families that feel lost and scared. Family Promise’s long-term goal is to break the cycle of homelessness and create a sense of community for the families that participate in the program, and the thousands of volunteers that have contributed to this program over the years. 

Family Promise is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, independently affiliated with a national organization founded in 1986 and comprised of 182 affiliates in 41 states (www.familypromise.org). Family Promise operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and only serves families with children. More than 60% of our clients are children. 

How Can You Get Involved: 

• Sign up to help with our next event – we will be ready to host four families.   

• Watch the bulletin for inserts that will share with you what is needed for the week. Typically we will need…

• • Dinner for each night
  • Evening activities 
  • Folks to spend overnight with the families, enjoy sleeping on a comfortable air mattress. 
  • Set up and take down of bedding and air mattresses 
  • Laundry to be done after the week is completed 

• There is something for EVERYONE to do!

For any questions, please email the Missions Team or contact the church office: 480-250-6172 or admin@gilbertumc.org