Galveston Sustainable Communities Alliance

ALTHOUGH 2021 CARRIED MANY OF THE SAME PANDEMIC CONSTRAINTS ENCOUNTERED IN 2020, GSCA WAS ABLE TO LAUNCH ITS LONG-PLANNED COMMUNITY SURVEY EXAMINING POVERTY IN THE CITY. GSCA COLLABORATED WITH GALVESTON COCARE AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH GRADUATE PROGRAM IN THE SCHOOL OF POPULATION HEALTH AND PUBLIC HEALTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH (PHGP) TO FINALIZE THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT, SECURE SITES FOR ADMINISTRATION, AND PROVIDE DATA ANALYSIS OF THE COMPLETED SURVEYS. GSCA RECRUITED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP ADMINISTER THE SURVEY AND PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE FIRST 100 SURVEYS FOR ANALYSIS. A LOCAL COMMUNITY BANK AIDED IN OBTAINING AND PROCESSING GIFT CARDS FOR SURVEY PARTICIPANTS. THE COOPERATIVE EFFORTS BETWEEN GSCA, GALVESTON COCARE, PHGP AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BANK KEPT GSCA FROM HAVING TO UNDERTAKE ADDITIONAL FUNDRAISING DURING THE YEAR, RELYING INSTEAD ON IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM VOLUNTEER EFFORTS. GSCA ALSO EXAMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF ACTING A FISCAL SPONSOR FOR LITTLE RED BOX GROCERY, A PROGRAM TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF A GROCERY STORE IN A FOOD DESERT AREA OF THE CITY. AFTER REVIEW OF THE PROPOSAL AND IRS REQUIREMENTS, GSCA DETERMINED IT COULD NOT ACCEPT THE REQUEST. HOWEVER, THE FACT THAT GSCA WAS ASKED TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSAL DEMONSTRATES ITS RELEVANCE AS A COMMUNITY PARTNER.