What we focus on: FFaith-based501C3 non-profit that follows GGod'splan to help all people in need. 

Provide no cost and financially assisted housing to Riverbend Area (Jersey and Madison County) residents on a temporary and then leading to permanent housing.

Mission: Our organization will own assets and have the resources required to deploy when individuals, couples, and families need aid in relation to shelter, housing, and social services. Organizational Goal: 100% of all clients to obtain self-supported housing through long-term case management services – If they truly want it and are ready to work for it!

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) is a nonprofit organization founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976. Since then, our organization has grown to serve 120 countries and all 50 United States with our 1200+ affiliates.

Our Lewis and Clark Affiliate was established in 1990 and has successfully placed over 70 families in homes far! We have local chapters in southern Illinois, including Edwardsville/Glen Carbon, Alton/Godfrey, Collinsville, O’Fallon, and Bond County.

Our mission is to provide decent, affordable housing to families in need. Our vision and hope is to eliminate poverty and substandard housing in our area. We seek local families in need, and through an application process held within the community, families are selected by our Volunteer Family Selection Committee.

All HFH homeowners participate in the building of their own home. Once a home build is complete, the homeowner makes monthly mortgage payments (0% interest) to Lewis and Clark Habitat. These payments are used in part to build homes for other selected families in the future!

We also help to operate a ReStore at 1950 Vandalia Street in Collinsville. It is a home improvement store and donation center that sells new and gently used furniture, appliances, home goods, building materials and more. We are looking for area residents who want to volunteer their service time, donations, and leadership skills.

We also welcome recommendations for future homeowners. For more information, call our Affiliate office at 618-343-0301 or the Alton area Chapter President, Rev Bill Pyatt at 618-301-7057.

Alton Catholic Charities

Guardian Angel Food Pantry: Our food pantry provides supplemental food to eligible individuals and families facing food insecurity. Food baskets are based on family size and can be received every 30 days. The pantry is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Pantry hours, and the number of clients served can change based on food supply. Mobile

Food Pantry: Through the hunger relief effort, our refrigerated Mobile Food Pantry truck delivers a two-week supply of food to pre-registered individuals and families in rural communities throughout our service areas of Madison, Jersey, Calhoun, and Bond Counties. The Mobile Food Pantry program strives to deliver food to at least one rural community per month.

Alton & Granite City Catholic Charities

Legal Services: This community-based, quality legal services program helps people with little to no income in obtaining pro bono legal assistance in civil matters.

Prescription Medication Assistance: The target population of the prescription medication assistance program is those with immediate medication needs who have no or limited prescription drug coverage. Advocates assist eligible clients with obtaining medicines from an approved local pharmacy. When funds allow, advocates can also assist with medical supplies depending upon the situation.

Professional Counseling Solutions: Therapeutic services are provided to individuals, couples, and families by licensed professionals and focus on helping clients cope with life's challenges in order to return to their optimum level of functioning. Services are based on a sliding fee scale, and clients are not refused due to their inability to pay. Insurance is accepted, and evening appointments are available. A variety of telehealth options are available.

MeowTown, nestled in the heart of Alton, Illinois, is a cat lover’s dream, offering a cozy and welcoming space to cuddle adoptable cats, relax with a snack, and even find a new feline friend.

Opened on December 15th, 2023, in partnership with the Metro East Humane Society, MeowTown has already helped 168 cats find their forever homes. Whether you’re looking to adopt, or just want to spend some time watching playful cats in a comfortable, café-style setting, MeowTown is the place to be.

Guests can enjoy delicious, freshly baked cookies and explore a fun selection of cat-themed retail items.

We’re proud to be a part of the Alton community, and we invite you to stop by, enjoy the cats, and who knows—you might just leave with a new companion.

Our Mission is to present all families with the life changing Gospel message and to bridge the gap of race and culture in our communities.

Our Story

The idea for Paper Planes Ministries began with David being told the simple yet life changing story of the Gospel at the age of 15. Since then he has had a passion to go to poverty stricken and violent communities to tell others about the story of Jesus Christ. Now with his wife Emily, they are committed to doing just that. The idea for Paper Planes is not an institution, not a building, but a ministry whose goal is to transport kids and families by bus from the projects to a place where they can feel safe, loved, and at home: the local church. We believe that God will use Paper Planes Ministries to revitalize their communities from being filled with drugs, violence, and poverty to being filled with the life, hope, and love that the story of Jesus Christ has to offer.