Community Development Project 2000 asks Gadsden City Council to continue support for golf fundraiser, breadbasket plan

John Reed and Pastor Simmons asked the Gadsden City Council on June 3 to continue supporting Community Development Project 2000(CDP 2000) fundraising and to approve plans for a proposed service center they call the "breadbasket." The group seeks sponsorships for an annual golf tournament that Reed said is the organization—s major fundraiser and asked council members to consider discretionary funds or team/hole sponsorships.

The request matters because CDP 2000 provides food, clothing and other services to people the presenters described as underserved. John Reed said the organization fed about 7,000 meals from October to May and serves roughly 200 families per month; he also said CDP 2000 has worked with people reentering from incarceration over the last 20 years and that the program has a high success rate. Pastor Simmons described a vision for a 10,000-square-foot facility at East Broad and Hoke Street to house food distribution, clothing, counseling and hygiene services, and said the group has paid for architectural plans and needs the city—s approval to proceed.

John Reed, a local resident who identified his address in the record, told the council, "The golf tournament is a major fundraiser for CDP project 2,000." He summarized recent activity: "From October to May, we fed about 7,000 meals. We feed an average of 200 families per month. Over the last 20 years, we have touched the lives of over 1,100 felons." Reed also asked council members to "look at their discretionary funds and see if they can sponsor a team or sponsor hole." These numbers were presented by Reed and were not verified during the meeting.

Pastor Simmons described the broader service model and the breadbasket plan, saying, "If we can deal with the felt need, where people feel like they need it, then we can get the character around them that can kinda start them to change." He said the group has invested in property work and architecture: "We've got probably $50,000 invested in that building. We had to take it down. We put, maybe, $20,000 in taking that building down. Now through CDP architectural firm, we've just paid $54,000 to get the architectural plan. And now it's init's being carried through and the city has to approve it. We're doing this one step at a time."

Council members in attendance expressed verbal support but did not take formal action or vote to allocate funds at the meeting. Councilman Smith said, "We will support as we have been here," and Councilman Avery said the council will continue to support the program. No motion to commit city funds to the project was recorded on the meeting minutes, and no formal vote on funding or plan approval occurred during the public comment portion.

Clarifying details presented at the meeting include the presenters' account that the program feeds roughly 200 families per month and that CDP 2000 has paid approximately $54,000 for architectural plans; Reed and Simmons described roughly $50,000 in prior building investments and about $20,000 in demolition costs. Those dollar amounts were stated by speakers during the meeting and were not accompanied by supporting documentation during the session. Reed and Simmons also described ongoing services including warming centers during inclement weather and clothing distribution.

The council did not schedule a board vote or public hearing on the CDP 2000 plans at the June 3 meeting. Next steps identified by presenters are city plan approval and continued fundraising; council members encouraged community support and said they would consider sponsorships but did not direct staff to take specific administrative steps during the meeting.