It was a night of celebration and gratitude for the access soup, kitchen and men's shelter in Frankfurt.

Its 40th anniversary was also a thank you to the community as people rallied to save access after budget problems threatened to close it down.

Access, I would say, mostly brings hope to individuals that are down on their luck.

We provide that stepping stone to help people get to where they need to be in their life.

We have the resources and enough outreach to help people to get back on their feet again.

This is our 40th event happening tonight.

We've been serving the community for 40 years.

I will just say that my dad was one of the founding members of the shelter.

There was a man, James Kay, who died under the bridge here in Franklin County, and that kind of boosted the need for the homeless shelter to get people out of the weather.

A few men of the church kind of started the shelter when they realized that there was a need around Frankfurt for homeless people who were maybe dying because of the weather.

Our main mission is to feed people and house those who don't have housing.

We've been doing it for 40 years, and if we can just accomplish those two things, that's all we need to do.

However, since then, we we provide showers, laundry, facilities, bus tickets to people who may need to go out of town.

Social services like assistance with driver's license, Social Security cards, veterans benefits.

Three years ago, I came to Frankfurt.

We came through COVID.

I ended up unemployed.

My parents had just both passed away within six months of each other.

I found myself homeless, came to Frankfurt.

Like I said, with $3 in my pocket.

Then I found access and went through their program, ended up working for the organization for three years.

Now.

After coming to Frankfurt and worked my way up through the organization and ended up being the director.

The program varies for the individual depending on their needs, what what they have whenever they walk in.

Some guys come in, they don't have a driver's license, they don't have a birth certificate, they don't have insurance.

Takes time to get somebody through the program, depending on the individual and their needs and what they do have and they don't have.

It would just take one event in our life to maybe fall on hard times and need the help.

And that's what we want to be as we wanted to be able to help the people who have fallen on hard times.

Whenever we went public and went on TV and to the newspaper that we were struggling, the community, the churches, individuals, businesses all stepped up and and donated to keep our doors open.

Since we told everybody that we were struggling with the devastation, that everybody has come out of the woodwork.

Frankfurt we could not be more happy and proud to be a part of Frankfurt because they have helped us in every way.

We couldn't ask for more and tonight is a thank you to those people who supported us in whatever way it was, whether it was bringing items down to the shelter, whether it was funding, whether it was just getting the word out.

Everybody has played a part and we just really are proud of Frankfurt and we wanted to share that with them.

Access is currently preparing for its yearly Walk of Awareness event on Thanksgiving morning.