The year was 1999. Everyone wondered if the world was coming to an end....
That didn't stop a group of forward thinking volunteers from forming Gem Community Citizens' Project Group (GCCPG), a charitable 501 (c) (3) organization, for the purpose of bettering their community. First task at hand? Install baseball fields for the kids in Hayden, Idaho. Mission accomplished in 1999. Next project? Form a Senior Center to care for our greatest generation of people. Mission accomplished (under the guidance of former Senior Center director and co-founder Barbara Tennery). The Senior Center is an evolving and ever improving part of GCCPG's mission. Along the way, many needs have been identified, and many projects accomplished.
Fast-forward to 2012. Everyone wondered if the world was coming to an end...according to interpretations of the Mayan calendar.
Jumpin' Beans founder Jason Ball asked, "Are we gonna 'hole up' in an underground shelter?! Nah...people need our help right now! Let's make sure vulnerable individuals never go hungry!" Jason and the Board of Directors of GCCPG, responding to a need in their community, installed a community garden in 2011, prior to the official formation of Jumpin' Beans Mobile Food Bank in 2012. Why a mobile food bank? It became clear that many people in need cannot get to the food bank. So, Jumpin' Beans Mobile Food Bank sprang forth. Jumpin' Beans is different than most organizations. Rather than simply throw good resources at a problem that keeps growing, Jumpin' Beans is doing everything in its sphere of influence to change the root of the problem. Jumpin' Beans delivers food, yes, but Jumpin' Beans would rather teach someone gardening skills and install an irrigation system, or teach someone to raise laying hens and a milking goat. We can help plant seeds in the ground, teach people to glean the excess from farmers, and share with each other. Sustainability and perpetuity is always the goal. How else can we feed everyone on this great planet?
