SAVANNAH, Ga. (Nov. 4, 2022) – Parker’s recently donated $100,000 in matching funds through the Parker’s Community Fund to support Union Mission’s Parker’s House, which is the only facility solely dedicated to providing emergency housing and comprehensive services for unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness in Savannah, Ga. The latest Parker’s Community Fund donation supplements a previous $250,000 gift, bringing the total Parker’s House donation to $350,000.
At the ribbon cutting for the new facility in August 2022, Parker issued a challenge to area business leaders, pledging that the Parker’s Community Fund would match up to $100,000 of Parker’s House funding raised during the month of September. Union Mission ultimately raised more than $111,000, exceeding Parker’s challenge goal.
“We’re extremely impressed by Union Mission’s commitment to create a safe place for women experiencing homelessness in Savannah,” said Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker. “They rose to the challenge and were able to raise additional funding to ensure that Parker’s House delivers the support services to help local women in need get back on their feet.”
Parker’s House opened to women in need on September 6, 2022 and provides housing and critical services to up to 100 women annually. To date, Union Mission has served 35 women at Parker’s House and provided more than 2,500 meals and 45 individualized mental health counselling sessions.
“We are incredibly grateful for this generous Parker’s House donation and for the ongoing support we’ve received from Parker’s and from area business leaders,” said Union Mission President and CEO Michael Traynor. “At Parker’s House, we are delivering much-needed services to women in need and are already making a positive impact for this underserved population.”
Located at 125 Fahm St. in the former J.C. Lewis Healthcare building in Savannah, the 10,590-square-foot facility offers emergency housing, on-site case workers, residential assistants and support services for up to 32 women for 90 days. Parker’s House also includes a common kitchen, living room, dining room, computer room, multi-purpose conference center, laundry room and outdoor courtyard. Interior walls throughout the facility feature empowering quotes designed to inspire women at Parker’s House.
In 2021, Parker’s made a $250,000 donation to Union Mission from the Parker’s Community Fund, which is administered by the Savannah Community Foundation, to support the founding of the new Parker’s House. The Parker’s Community Fund is focused on making a transformative impact in the areas that Parker’s serves in Georgia and South Carolina.
Women comprise approximately 28% of the homeless population in Savannah. Savannah-Chatham County has the second highest rate of homelessness in Georgia.
In 2021, Union Mission helped transition 603 men, women and children from the streets of Savannah to safe, stable housing, providing 134,658 nights of housing and more than 75,320 meals to individuals and families in need.
ABOUT UNION MISSION:
Union Mission has cared for Savannah’s homeless community for 85 years, offering emergency, transitional and permanent housing solutions to those in need. Union Mission also provides mental health counseling, food, clothing, transportation and job placements as part of its comprehensive wrap-around supportive services available to all homeless people in the community. The mission of Union Mission is: to partner with people to end their homelessness through housing and supportive services. Learn more: www.unionmission.org.
ABOUT PARKER’S:
Honored as the 2020 Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year, Parker’s is strategically redefining the nation’s convenience store industry, offering customers high-quality products, freshly prepared food and superior customer service at retail stores throughout southeast Georgia and South Carolina. Headquartered in Savannah, Ga., Parker’s has a commitment to exceeding customer expectations and has repeatedly been recognized as one of the nation’s leading convenience store and foodservice companies. Parker’s Kitchen, the popular food-centric brand under the Parker’s umbrella, serves world-famous hand-breaded Southern Fried Chicken Tenders as well as made-from-scratch mac ‘n’ cheese, a breakfast bar and daily specials. The company’s popular Parker’s Rewards loyalty program, which includes more than 300,000 members, has saved Parker’s customers more than $15 million to date. Learn more: www.parkerskitchen.com.
ABOUT THE PARKER’S COMMUNITY FUND:
The Parker’s Community Fund is dedicated to supporting charitable initiatives throughout the company’s corporate footprint in coastal Georgia and South Carolina. A Community Impact Committee makes strategic decisions about how to allocate the funds in order to make the biggest impact. An important part of the company’s ongoing commitment to charitable giving, the Parker’s Community Fund amplifies the impact of the Parker’s Fueling the Community initiative as well as landmark gifts to name the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University and the Parker’s Emergency and Trauma Center at Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Ga. Learn more: www.parkerskitchen.com/parkers-community-fund
