About Gladden
Gladden Community House
Founded in 1905 as a settlement house, Gladden Community House serves the low-income Franklinton community and its surrounding neighbors. Franklinton is a three square-mile neighborhood on the near West side of Columbus. Currently, our service area contains 35,000 residents in about 13,000 households.
Mission
“To strengthen the well-being of Franklinton’s children, families and community and build a thriving equitable neighborhood”
Gladden’s Impact
Serving Franklinton Families
We serve over 11,000 families with a wide range of essential programs and services. We continue to provide services designed to help families avoid homelessness and keep utilities turned on, we provide parenting skills and budgeting classes, and we continue to be the primary resource for food support in the community.
Feeding Bodies & Minds
We serve over 300,000 nutritious meals each year. Gladden works to address food insecurity in Franklinton through our Preschool and Afterschool Programs as well as through our Food Pantry, one of the largest in Central Ohio.
Afterschool & Team Sports Programs
Serving more than 500 Franklinton youth each year, Gladden’s programs provide a safe, structured environment where neighborhood kids receive homework help, periodic tutoring, structured recreational activities and a year-round team sports program, all designed to give our kids the opportunity to learn the essential life lessons of teamwork, conflict management and goal attainment.
Early Childhood Education
Our 4-Star Step Up To Quality state-licensed preschool provides 3-5 year olds with a firm educational, social, and developmental foundation that ensures they’re ready to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. We enroll more than 60 preschoolers annually and we work to engage preschool parents and guardians in our agency’s supportive programs as well.
Seniors Outreach
The majority of the seniors we serve live on fixed incomes and have difficulty traveling without assistance. Gladden’s Seniors Outreach Program helps seniors with their basic needs and offers transportation to help them access groceries and other essential services and necessities. We work with our seniors to help them maintain their independence and continue living safely in their own homes.
What Your Donation Means to Gladden
- $5,000 will purchase food for 2 months for our After-School Meals Program
- $2,500 will purchase a 1 month supply of food for our Food Pantry
- $1,000 will provide the cost of 4 educational field trips for our preschool students
- $500 will provide the funds to support the winter season of our Team Sports Program
- $250 will provide basic home care supplies for 10 of our seniors
- $100 helps produce our monthly Franklinton community newspaper
- $50 will help support our annual Community Youth Halloween celebration