Saving Grace Outreach
Saving Grace Outreach
Community Cares Center gets financial boost from M&T Bank
Christina Smith, branch manager of Ellicottville’s M&T Bank (left) presents a check for $11,000 to Elizabeth O’Neill of Saving Grace Outreach.
Ask a random person on the street how the past 15 months have felt, and the overwhelming majority would probably give you one word: difficult. It’s been difficult, these past 15 months, because we — as a society, not anyone in particular — have experienced such a vast spectrum of emotions. Anxiety for the uncertainty of the next day or week or month, grief for the ones we’ve lost, and a seemingly endless stream of talking heads spewing doom.
But if you started peeling back the layers, you saw the very best of humanity come out. The United States isn’t a perfect place — far from it — but in times of desperation, everyday Americans have an innate tendency to extend a helping hand to those in need. Elizabeth O’Neill understands this better than most.
A founding member of Trading Post Community Care Center in Springville, NY, she looked south for her next endeavor. In 2009, she would found Saving Grace Outreach, a “Trading Post South” in Cattaraugus.
“I felt God was calling me to help his people in Cattaraugus,” she said. “We found the building for Trading Post South in 2008 and by August 2009 opened our first location, serving approximately 25,000 people with food and hygiene products, clothing, household furniture and emergency shelter.”
Saving Grace counts on megastores like Wal-Mart, Lowes, Target, Panera Bread and Tops to keep its wheels turning, but also receives assistance from the local community, churches and even FEMA for emergency housing. It has taken a village to open “God’s Warehouse,” at the Community Cares Center located at 26 Mill Street.
In 2015, M&T Bank donated $500 to Saving Grace to assist in finishing the bathroom at the Community Cares Center, where those in need of shelter can go.
“The mission of Saving Grace closely aligns with the priorities of M&T Bank, therefore, when they came to us again with information on their new Community Cares Center, we knew we wanted to get involved and provided a donation of $11,000,” said Christina Smith, Ellicottville’s M&T Bank Branch Manager. “Saving Grace is helping the local communities in Cattaraugus County during an unprecedented time of need, and we’re happy to help make sure they have the resources they need to effectively carry out this mission.”
Upon completion, the Community Cares Center will include a youth center, indoor archery range, community kitchen, daycare and transitional apartments. The entire project to completion will take more community support.
The pandemic could have set the entire process back, but O’Neill had help.
“We were stretched thin with having to let go of all our elderly volunteers, but my kids — Sean, Shane and Caitlin — were home from college and school stepped up and helped run the day-to-day operations including pickups and other food orders. I could have not run the ministry without them so I cannot thank them enough for their dedicated service to their community serving as God’s hands and feet,” she said.
It helps when the community steps up to help in such a significant way, such as the grant from M&T.
“As a community focused bank, supporting our communities is our most important work. Throughout the pandemic, as needs arose for funding in the community, our team worked quickly to deliver funds,” Smith said. “This investment in Saving Grace is one of many in our communities. Every day and in everything we do, we try to live our purpose to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Outreach programs like Saving Grace were critical during the pandemic and will continue to be going forward. Serving communities in need isn’t an easy task, but thanks to people like Elizabeth O’Neill and her legion of supporters, the helping hand of America will continue to reach out. For more information or ways to donate to Saving Grace Outreach, please contact Elizabeth at 716-229-2008 or 716-257-3077.
