Jadee Gilley is going to celebrate her fourteenth birthday in a few days. In pursuit of what has become a passion for the Pilot Mountain teenager, much of her focus during the day again will be on meeting the needs of the people around her.
Two years ago, for his twelfth birthday, Gilley spent the day volunteering at Maranatha Homeless Outreach. Maranatha is a local organization that meets regularly to distribute prepared meals and other items to anyone in need.
That day, in early 2019, she helped distribute fruits from the group’s normal position in a parking lot at the intersection of West Pine Street and North South Street in Mount Airy. As she watched people eagerly claim and savor pieces of fruit, some of which had already passed their peak, she was moved by the need she was witnessing unexpectedly so close to her own home.
She continued to volunteer every Friday, as she realized she wanted to do more.
“A month or two after that,” recalls Jadee’s mother, “she came to us and said that this was what God was calling her to. She wanted to start her own ministry and operate it by faith. “
Jadee, with the support of his parents, James and Shasta Gilley, his brother, Tripp, and his church, Pilot Mountain Community Church, established Cross Training Ministries. The ministry now works with Maranatha to help provide meals, while extending to the area and beyond to meet the needs in people’s lives as she sees them. Jadee Gilley now also serves as a youth leader for Maranatha.
Eighth-grade student with an honor roll at Mount Airy Middle School, Jadee leads a busy school life, with interests in cheerleaders and the student organization HOSA Future Health Professionals.
Her ministry remains a priority, as she sometimes prepares her evening meal and gets up early to prepare food before school. She can fill a clay pot with spaghetti before school so she can distribute hot meals immediately afterwards.
As in many areas of life, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced some changes in efforts to provide meals. Maranatha already served meals three times a week, in addition to offering meals in local motels and inpatients. Now, packed meals are served once a week and delivered to prisoners.
“Before,” observed James Gilley, “volunteers could serve meals and speak to people. People liked the interaction and so did we. Everyone wants to feel noticed and valued. “
Cross Training Ministries also works to provide emergency supplies as needed and fill local “blessing boxes”. The boxes are assembled in public areas, making canned and non-perishable food available to those who need it. Clothes and shoes are also provided as available.
Jadee and other family members also made several trips to Beattyville, KY. Beattyville is located in Lee County, described by Gilley as one of the poorest counties in the country. As she did at home, Jadee used the value of working with other ministries to effectively reach more people.
She and others from across the region helped a Beattyville ministry provide meals.
She also helped with a newly established homeless ministry in a small town, helping with the provision of meals and clothing. During volunteering, she realized what she remembers as a desperate need for kitchen utensils to be used in preparing meals.
Upon returning to Pilot Mountain, she began to work to let others know of the need and began to collect donations of kitchen utensils and clothing. She and her family were soon able to return for more volunteer service while delivering a supply of goods needed for ministry, goods that are now being used.
Most donations received by Cross Training Ministries continue to be used locally. In addition to the support of the church and family, Jadee regularly receives donations in the form of clothing, food and finance.
“Jadee is good at stretching a dollar,” explained Shasta Gilley, “and God provides. I probably care much more about needs than she does.
“In doing so,” continued Gilley, “we saw miracle after miracle. One day she was shopping and she was missing $ 20 for what she needed. Someone at the store started talking to her about what she was doing and gave her a $ 20 bill. Again, we were feeding a long line of people with a limited amount of chickens. Everyone ended up being fed and we never left. “
In September, family and friends helped Jadee take a motorcycle ride to her church to raise funds for the cross-training ministries’ winter efforts. More than $ 1,000 was raised, in addition to winning sponsors for the ministry’s Christmas effort. This year, the number of children receiving at least four Christmas gifts has more than doubled, with 22 children being sponsored. It is estimated that 1,000 pieces of clothing were also donated on the tour.
The funds also allowed for the purchase of medicines for a couple of local individuals and holiday meals for a resident with serious illness.
As word of the ministries’ combined efforts to provide meals spread, Jadee and other volunteers saw more people in need of help.
“It is growing continuously,” she said. “We want to help more people as God provides.”
“People don’t think of Mount Airy as a needy area,” said James Gilley, “but they are feeding inmates and people who are struggling to survive. If someone needs a meal, we will find a way to feed them. “
“When I started,” added Jadee, “it was a surprise. I thought of it as a tourist city. After that first day, I wanted to keep going and serving. God put it in my heart to help and serve, whether it be your meals or clothes or something to help keep you warm. “
Ministries Jadee and Cross Training are starting a new collaborative effort this week. Working with the Helping Hands Foundation, they will provide five meals a week to 185 elderly residents in the area.
“I really enjoy doing all of this,” observed Jadee. “It would be painful to stop. I know the people we feed and I hear their stories. They are almost like an extended family. “
So, how is Jadee Gilley going to spend her next birthday?
“We took turns with Maranatha to prepare the food,” she said. “But on my birthday, I want Cross Training Ministries to be able to prepare and serve meals. That’s all I planned. “