FG Solutions: Packaging with an Eternal Purpose

  

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

From Psalm 121

Help for those in need comes from the Lord.

CCC Local Outreach ministry partner First Glance has many committed staff people and volunteers devoted to providing help for young people in need in Akron’s Kenmore area. Some come to the First Glance youth center in need of clothing or food. Because these are recurring needs, First Glance staffers began thinking about the long term potential of these youth.

God’s people can lift up others by encouraging them to lift up their eyes to the Lord.

Perhaps you’ve heard this saying:

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.

This is the principle on which First Glance affiliate organization FG Solutions was founded.  FG Solutions creates job and training opportunities for those students and young adults who need help in Kenmore – those who need to learn how to earn a living. FG Solutions also gives them Christ-focused emotional and spiritual support in that learning process.  They learn to live out Psalm 121.

An FG Solutions worker converts bulk goods into salable SKUs, or stock keeping units

The Lord has provided.

In its first year, FG Solutions provided roughly a quarter of a million dollars of income to 77 employees as they have learned how to earn a living.  FG Solutions does contract packaging – work that is outsourced by local companies.  And, it does 'Packaging with a Purpose' - helping its students and young adults get prepared to earn a living.

 Just as with First Glance, FG Solutions is all about the long term relationships formed

And there is more to be done.

The ultimate goal of FG Solutions is to train people up with experience, and then help them gain employment beyond FG Solutions.  So, FG Solutions, with about one year of experience under its belt, is looking for companies that need to hire workers with experience in just-in-time packaging services.

Likewise, FG Solutions would like to expand its base of contract packaging customers. This would allow more people to benefit from the training and life skills counseling offered by FG Solutions administrators Tim Beck and Rob Abel. It would also allow those customers to reduce their packaging costs while enjoying 24 hour turnaround.  One firm had several thousands of dollars of ‘dead money’ inventory in bulk shipping pallets, but no staff to repackage it. FG Solutions converted the inventory to salable goods by quickly and cost-effectively repackaging it into retail packaging, ready to be shipped and billed.

Furthermore, FG Solutions is constantly looking for more efficiency in its operations. For example, any donations of the following types of equipment would help the organization be competitive yet employ more people.

A bagging machine with a level of automation

A foot-operated bag sealer

Wire racks

Where might I come in?

Perhaps you have some ideas on how FG Solutions might gain additional customers or acquire more equipment.  Or, ultimately, how you might be able to offer employment to recent FG Solutions graduates. If you would like to learn more, please contact:

CCC's Local Outreach team at barbara.ammirati@ccchapel.com or  

FG Solutions at office@fgsolutions.org, or at 234.228.0134