LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- St. George's Episcopal Church has seen its fair share of problems, but the small church on the corner of South 26th and Oak Streets has something to celebrate.
"There's a long history of struggle," Rev. Dan Dykstra said. "This church has struggled for 100 years."
But somehow, the church always makes its mission work.
"For many, this is a place of refuge that they've been coming to for years," Dykstra said.
In 2018, storm damage and major flooding set the church back, just as it was planning to update its community center space.
"We had to deal with redoing everything in the community center," Mary Carter said. "Electrical box, air conditioning, furnace, walls, you name it, we had to do it."
Now, most of that work is done, and the center can host activities for kids, the community and it's Dare to Care food bank.
"The area that we are located in is of particular concern becasue they are extraordinarily impovershed," Dykstra said. "We're dealing with people who really don't have anything, and we're trying to help feed them and give them some hope."
Nearly 1,000 people in the Parkland neighborhood depend on the food, and would suffer without the food bank.
"I think that a lot of these people who don't have the economic means to buy the groceries that they need to sustain life, would truly be in trouble," Carter said.
The church itself has held on to hope through its own issues, but still needs more help.
The community center is in need of a new roof to replace the current one, which leaks and has damaged the walls. It's asking for help to repair it, to keep serving its community.
"We just need to be able to repair that so we can keep on serving the community and helping people to help themselves," Carter said.
St. George's is always looking for more volunteers and is accepting donations for the roof project.
If you'd like to help out, donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 3652, Louisville, Kentucky, 40203.
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