PHOENIX — A Phoenix church is once again providing critical heat relief services to those experiencing homelessness, nearly a year after a fire destroyed their gymnasium.
The Alhambra Beloved Community Church's gym was deemed a total loss after a fire in August last year, and a suspect was arrested on arson charges in connection with the fire.
The building had been used to provide heat relief services and other community assistance programs.
In the aftermath of the fire, donated clothes, shoes for back-to-school events, and other community resources were destroyed. Now, as Phoenix again faces temperatures of 110º, the church reopened its heat relief services in another building in the last few weeks while the original structure awaits demolition.
It’s been a long, difficult year for the church, but Pastor Miguel Perez and his wife Gladys say they’ve had a lot of community support to get through it all.
“It makes me want to cry because we mourned it, and it was heavy,” Miguel said. “But, the response of the community, when you came and shared our story, the response of the community was very emotional to see. The way the community came together and loved on us, the way they loved on us as individuals, the way they loved on us as a church, they showed out."
When the church building burned down last August, Gladys said they were getting ready for their back-to-school drive, but then everything burned. However, this year, after getting some donations from organizations like Gathering Humanity, they’ll be hosting a back-to-school event for the community this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., or until supplies last. The organization they run out of the church, Starts With the Heart, is still looking for more donations. For more information, visit their website here.
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