About People Helping People

Mission

Showing the hope found in a relationship with Jesus through helping people with their daily needs and equipping them to reach their potential.

Vision

People Helping People desires to be a safe, welcoming, and Christ-centered resource destination where:

  • People are valued and needs are met
  • There are quality opportunities to worship, live, work, learn, play and flourish
  • Connections with the broader Pullman community are enhanced

Serving Pullman

Pullman is a rural Michigan town about 15 miles northeast of South Haven. The town falls largely below the poverty rate, with 24% of the families raising children as single parents (Lee Township Master Plan 2017). Education rates are also lower, and 64% of the population have a high school diploma while only 7% have a bachelor’s degree or higher (US Census 2020).

Due to its rural location and high poverty rate, many of the Pullman residents we serve struggle with losing heat and electricity. These families live with little to no internet and many rely on SNAP benefits or food stamps to feed their families. For youth attending People Helping People programs, stability and a warm, safe environment with regular meals makes all the difference in their lives. Children who feel safe and have their basic needs regularly met can move beyond survival to grow and thrive in life.

Our History

In 2005, Ken and Judi Draisma bought land in Pullman and discovered the community’s need. In 2010, they worked with a group to form a nonprofit called People Helping People of Pullman, Inc. (PHP). That same year, PHP invited Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC) to Pullman to meet a need for a community food pantry.

At the same time, members from Ridge Point Community Church started a Thursday evening Bible study in Pullman. They later added a free community dinner and began calling the program Pullman Ministry.

In 2021 and 2022, all the activities to serve the community were enfolded into the People Helping People ministry.

The Linking Center

Youth programming serves Pullman children ages preschool through senior year of high school. From after-school drop-in hours to partnerships with community agencies, to weekly Bible study nights, Pullman youth have the opportunity to engage with caring volunteers who provide a positive influence on their lives.

With the Bible Study rapidly growing, a dream emerged for a dedicated ministry space. What began as an idea for a two-stall garage became the Linking Center. Funds poured in and the Linking Center was built with a two-stall garage, four classrooms, a full-sized gymnasium, a licensed commercial kitchen and a dining room. Since its opening in 2018, the Linking Center has stretched to meet the needs of our growing programs.

Pantry

Starting as a small building on the property, our pantry is now ready to expand its services to the community. In 2021, donors encouraged PHP to consider building a new food pantry for the community. With much prayer and discernment, the PHP Board of Directors agreed to build a new facility to house the food pantry and add new hygiene services such as showers and laundry facilities, with additional warehouse and administrative office space for the growing PHP team. In May of 2023 we celebrated the opening of our new pantry and warehouse.

Worship Center

In 2021, the Lee Township Board of Directors agreed to sell their Community Center, a little white church adjacent to the PHP Linking Center. The township sold the building to PHP with a directive to continue using the space to serve the community. PHP now offers Sunday morning worship in the Worship Center and also partners with a Spanish speaking congregation to offer a Sunday worship experience in this facility.

Annual Report

People Helping People continues to grow and thrive in our service to the Pullman community.

Please click the image to learn more details about our programs and how we lived our Christ-centered mission and vision throughout 2023 and into 2024.

Our Values

PHP honors and integrates the following core values in all we do:

  • Christ-centered (2 Corinthians 5:20)
  • Life change/transformation through education (Romans 12:2)
  • Missions – Proclaiming the gospel by serving people in relevant ways (1 Peter 4:10)
  • Relationships – Building and valuing personal relationships and relationships with God (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
  • Intentionally inclusive and diverse both ethnically and culturally (1 Corinthians 1:10)
  • Excellence (Colossians 3:23-24)