SERVICES

The Good Neighbor Community Center provides basic and emergency needs to low-income non-duplicated individuals. Each client or family is personally welcomed through an individual interview and encouraged to participate in the following programs.
(We ask current GNCC clients to bring their Service Point cards for the following services unless otherwise stated)

FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM

 

Non-Perishables
GNCC distributes non-perishable like canned food, frozen meat, dry beans, pasta, etc. through our Shopper's Choice Pantry. Individuals with appointments are given the opportunity to walk into our pantry and pick out food for themselves depending on their family sizes and the amount of food available. Clients may receive non-perishable food every 30 days.
NOTE: Appointment needed before one can come in for a pantry. Call us at 9 am to set up an appointment. If it is an emergency case, please call the center at 402.477.4173 and explain your situation. Make sure you talk to a staff or volunteer.

 

Perishables
Each Monday and Wednesday, GNCC distributes perishable food like fruits, vegetables, bread, milk, etc. between 10am-12pm.
No appointment needed to come in for perishables but we ask for GNCC client cards.

 

Food Net
Every Sunday at 3pm-4pm, Allon Chapel Seventh-Day Adventist Church is on site hosting Food Net.
No appointment or Client ID needed.

 

BASIC AND EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

 

SHOPPING FLOOR
GNCC receives donations from the community which are then given out to those in need at no cost. Items given out through this program include but not limited to clothes and clothe accessories, shoes, purses, appliances, small furniture (due to lack of room), and other household items as donated. We ask for clean items from the community that could still be used by those in need. We are unable to pick up donated items but we are glad to receive them at our center Monday to Thursday from 8 am to 4 pm and on Fridays from 8 am to 2 pm.

After meeting with an interviewer and completing the needs assessment, each client may shop for the donated items at no cost. Clients can shop for these items every 60 days for each family member. We encourage clients to bring some proof of income and expenses every time they come in to validate where they live and to help us with data needed when writing grants.

Layettes: These are offered to new moms to assist them with the necessities they need for their newborns.

Personal Care items: These are given out depending on what is available.

Fans: In the summer, we offer fans for clients in need.

New Quilts: New refugees and immigrants are offered new quilts to help them when they arrive in Lincoln and Lancaster County. We also offer quilts to individuals that have lost their property from theft, fire, flood, etc. The rest of the clients are encouraged to pick out blankets and bedding from our shopping floor when they are shopping.
NOTE: Appointment needed before one can come in to shop. Call us at 9am to set up an appointment.

MENA HOPE Project
The MENA Hope Project provides assistance to refugees and immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa. We collaborate with resettlement agencies bringing new refugees into Lincoln and Lancaster County to help them with a smooth transition to their new home. Home visits may be made to determine what assistance they will need and the new families are given a priority to come and shop at the center for clothes, get food, and enroll in classes. Interpretation services are provided to assist with appointments and translating all sorts of documents that the clients may have.

The project advocates for women to enable them become independent by providing tools and resources to help them achieve independence.
NOTE: Please call Zainab Al-Baaj for more information.

Other services provided by MENA HOPE Project

Friday Women Classes: Every Friday (when public schools are open) we have Friday classes that feature different speakers covering a lot of topics which range from health, public safety, cooking, careers, parenting, etc. Before the class starts, the participants study English for an hour from 11 am to 12 pm with different teachers depending on their English levels and them meet together to listen to the guest speaker of that day.

English Classes:

GNCC collaborates with South East Community College and Lincoln Literacy to help individuals learn English Monday through Friday. We also have individual volunteers who work volunteer to help out those in need.

A teacher from South East Community College is on site three times a week to work with level 2 English students.
Lincoln Literacy sends trained volunteers to teach English three times a week.
NOTE: Call South East Community College for more details at 1-800-642-4075 to sign up and asked to be placed at the Good Neighbor Community Center location. You can also call the center and talk to Zainab for ESL classes placement.

GED Classes:
Every Tuesday and Thursday evening the center provides GED classes in collaboration with South East Community College.
NOTE: Call SCC for more details at 1-800-642-4075 to sign up and asked to be placed at the Good Neighbor Community Center Location.

Computer Classes:
We offer introduction to computer classes and have a lab where clients can use computers to do job searches and work on computer skills.
NOTE: No appointment is needed for this program.

MENACTIVITY:

This is a program sponsored by Community Health Endowment (CHE) to help women and young children exercise 2 hours a week at Union College's Larson Lifestyle Center. The women do not have the privilege of exercising in public because they cannot take of their hijab. This program allows them to use the gym exclusively without worrying about non-related males looking at them due to their culture or religious beliefs.

 

SNAP OUTREACH

Good Neighbor Community Center is a community partner with Department of Health and Human Services to help individuals apply for SNAP (formerly food stamps) benefits through the ACCESS NEBRASKA online application. Through this program, we are able to serve individuals that do not have computer skills are have language barriers. Sharonda Claypool is our SNAP Outreach Coordinator and you can call her to schedule an appointment.

We also help translate for those who speak Arabic, Swahili, and French.

 

Rent / Utility Assistance

Good Neighbor Community Center helps with individuals with eviction notices and those in need of assistance with utility shut off notices. We encourage individuals to look for assistance from other agencies because the amount we have to give out is very limited each given month.

 

Grandparents Christmas Room
Grandparents are invited to shop every other year for their grandchildren during the holiday season. Grandchildren must be 10 years old or younger. GNCC posts the sign up dates. Grandparents need to bring in social security cards for their grandchildren to be able to shop for their grandchildren's gifts.
Note: Please call to make an appointment or inquire if you are eligible.

 

Taxes
GNCC works with Union College to help with tax filing during the tax season. Dates will be posted when the season is on.
NOTE: No appointment necessary.

 

Star Tran Low Income Bus Pass Sales Site

-We sell monthly bus passes for $8 to low income families and the HandiVan pass for $16 Proof of eligibility (which is 200% poverty level) and Photo ID is required by Star Tran before we can sell these passes.
NOTE: No appointment necessary.