HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – With the goal of battling recidivism and healing previously incarcerated women from the inside out, Grace & Mercy in Hopkinsville has been silently expanding and impacting lives. By providing housing, therapy, positive enrichment and outreach, Executive Director Joanna Mack has grown her vision of empowerment to 25 counties and 12 states with no signs of stopping.
“These women aren’t going to bite you, they’re just like every other woman. They’ve just made wrong choices while they were in survival mode,” Mack told Christian County Now. Grace & Mercy is a faith based transitional recovery home that serves women coming from incarceration, homelessness, or are in crisis. For 18 months, women can have reliable, safe housing in an uplifting community that extends beyond their stay.
“The Lord gave me a vision for Grace & Mercy, and it has just developed starting from its roots,” said Mack. For her, it began with leading prison ministries throughout Kentucky, and eventually blossomed into what it is today.
Her kismet meeting with founding board member Paula Halcomb solidified their mission to get to the root of the pain that leads women to incarceration. Their patient, non-judgmental approach embraces everyone, including women who many have been through the program before.
“Many of them are just a result of generational curses and living in disfunction,” added Halcomb. “The chaotic lifestyle is all they know because that’s all they were taught. Many of them raised themselves because their parents were in addiction, and therefore the cycle continues.”
The power of fudge
Although residents at Grace & Mercy eventually pay a form of rent and are supplied Medicaid and food stamps, the organization does not receive grants or state assistance to pay for day-to-day operations. From the very beginning they needed a way to bring money in, eventually on fudge.
Mack was gifted a fudge kettle and a recipe early on, and residents helped crank out delicious varieties to sell at festivals and events. It was an immediate hit and supplied the financial boost they needed. The fudge making has expanded, and even more special items like roasted nuts are offered now. They were most recently spotted at the Western Kentucky State Fair and make an effort to travel around the state selling wherever they can.
While selling this southern sweet treat may seem like solely an opportunity to raise money, Holcomb believes it has grown into something much bigger saying, “We are there to sell fudge and to bring money into the ministry, but what I have seen over the past four or five years especially, is that it has become an outreach.”
She explained that people seem to be naturally drawn to their tables at events, and often engage in deep conversations that allow residents or alumni of the program to share their stories with the public and plant a seed of hope in the community. Chancie Gray, an alumnus of the program and current manager at their thrift store was delighted to casually share her journey through Grace & Mercy to passerby’s during the fair, instilling positive messages to whoever would listen.
“Hurting people are walking by us each and every day,” said Holcomb. “God is using the fudge to send people to us to minister to them at that table.”
Expanding and community support
With 16 women currently housed, and a capacity of 25, Mack is making sure they have everything in place to see their resident’s journey through to the end. 30 days into their stay, women receive help gaining employment in a healthy environment to begin living independently and pay rent. But the mission goes beyond that, with an expansion into what was previously a drug house and is now additional transitional apartments.
Grace & Mercy is also working on renovating another nearby building to accommodate five more apartments. Mack has a clear vision in her head at what these dwellings will look like, noting how hard it is for someone labeled as a felon to find safe housing. Expansions are happening within as well as they have recently partnered with an organization from Texas with a similar mission to make sure all women are served.
A variety of psychotherapy classes and bibles studies ensure that rehabilitation sticks, but Mack knows that people can’t truly change unless they want to. But even one breakthrough is a success worth celebrating.
They are always looking for dedicated counselors to provide programming and for volunteers to assist at the thrift store and beyond. Anyone interested in joining them can find more information on the Grace & Mercy website. Aside from festivals and events, delicious fudge can be found at the Grace & Mercy thrift store on Fort Campbell Boulevard in Hopkinsville, with thrift sales also benefiting the organization. They also have a boutique thrift location in Elkton.
DON’T MISS A STORY: Click here to sign up for Christian County Now’s free weekly email newsletter