Advancing the Kingdom

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Advancing T he Kingdom: Kingdom House 114
Despite budget constraints Kingdom
House was able to add a playground
and parking lot to the building at a cost
of $60,000, open a Youth Development
Center, as well as grow newly
developed Senior Citizen programming,
employment counseling and further
expansion of the Day Care Center.
The 80th Anniversary Program Book
proclaimed “This year more than 3,000
persons will receive aid through the
work of Kingdom House….”
The Women’s Board highlighted
some of the ways Kingdom House
served its neighbors in the following
articles:
“Kingdom House to be site
for Health Fair ‘82”
Kingdom House will be a local
screening site for Health Fair ’82.
On April 4, 1982 our gym will
be used to offer free to the public
health screening tests. City Hospital
will provide most of the testing
equipment and personnel and
Kingdom House will be responsible
for volunteers for registration,
transportation and refreshments…
The Health Fair ’82 is an area wide
campaign sponsored by KSDK,
General American and The Red
Cross. Kingdom House participated
in the first Health Fair ’80.
“Cheese”
Kingdom House served as one
of the distribution sites for the big
U.S.D.A. free give away of cheese
to the needy. Eligible households
could each receive one five-pound
block of processed American
Cheese. Established food pantries
connected with the Food Crisis Network
were asked to serve as distribution sites, but
only one per zip code area. Since Kingdom
House had the best storage facility we were
chosen with the other pantries in the area
sending helpers.
We wish to thank St. Stephan’s Episcopal,
Guardian Angel Settlement, Southeast
Gateway Center, Darst, Webbe and Peabody
Public Housing Projects and Lutheran
Family and Children’s Services for their
assistance…
Approximately 12,000 pounds of cheese
was distributed in the 63104 zip code where
we are located. The St. Louis metropolitan
area received some 231,000 pounds total.13
The cheese distribution continued
until January, 1985, when the dispersal
was unexpectedly moved to a nearby
vacant store.
Another highlight of the early 1980s
was the Ralston Purina Summer Jobs
Program. Kingdom House was selected
to participate in this initiative, receiving
a grant of nearly $10,000 to be used
to employ twelve disadvantaged high
school juniors during the summer. Each
student worked twenty hours per week
for ten weeks at selected job sites in
private businesses. In this arrangement,
the employers provided the job sites
in their company or institution along
with supervision of the student while
on the job. Kingdom House selected
the students, placed them on the job site
and paid their wages with the money
provided by Ralston Purina. The funded
jobs included: medical records clerk,
A
P hoto:
A: Fred Perabo of Ralston
Purina and Bill McRoberts
at a Summer Jobs Program
graduation
Another highlight of
the early 1980s was
the Ralston Purina
Summer Jobs P rogram.