Programs

Gainesville Area AIDS Project (GAAP) 

The Gainesville Area AIDS Project (GAAP) is a vital program of the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida, providing weekly lunches, personal hygiene products, and household supplies for our HIV/AIDS clients, who are often food- or housing-insecure. 

Services 

Distribution of food & essentials 

GAAP provides clients with a hot meal, fresh bread and pastries, and substantial bags of food from our food pantry, including dry, cold, and frozen foods on a weekly basis. Referrals are given for other HIV/AIDS healthcare and social services programs, as well. 

GAAP currently prepares and serves a to-go meal to 25-30 clients each Tuesday from 8:30am to 12pm at First United Methodist Church (419 NE 1st Street, Gainesville). Clients who feel well enough may enjoy the Tuesday meal as a sit-down lunch, an opportunity to socialize.  

GAAP also provides household cleaning supplies and toiletries that clients would not be able to obtain through SNAP or other publicly funded programs. On a rotating schedule, clients can pick up several months’ worth of these essentials during the Tuesday meal.  

Client enrollment 

Enrollment in our program is simple and is open to all people living with HIV/AIDS. Please bring your Letter of Eligibility or your case worker’s information to our distribution site at FUMC on Tuesdays between 8:30-11:30am. Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to our noon closing time if you are a new client enrolling for the first time.   

On the first day of enrollment, clients will be provided with a hot meal, food pantry items, household cleaning supplies, and toiletries. 

History  

GAAP began in September of 1993 when about 25 Persons Living with AIDS (PLWAs), caregivers, and friends joined together to consider the unmet needs of PLWAs in the Gainesville area. Two factors quickly became apparent: people wanted a place where they could go for support and social activities, and they wanted to avoid the hassles of paperwork!  

By December of 1993, GAAP had begun a drop-in center at Trinity United Methodist Church, meeting on Tuesdays and Fridays, for brown bag lunches, games, and support from the “Mothers of GAAP”.  

In 2002, the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida (PCCNCF) invited GAAP to host its services at our center, and in 2018, GAAP became a program of PCCNCF.  

Due to PCCNCF’s move in the summer of 2023 to the Springhill area, we partnered with First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in downtown Gainesville to provide easier access for most of our clients, who often have limited transportation. FUMC also offers ample space to store the program’s pantry items, personal hygiene products, and household supplies, and to prepare and host the weekly lunches. We are thrilled that our new location in FUMC’s fellowship hall is bringing in new clients, increasing accessibility, and enabling us to reach new populations.  

How you can help  

Donate essential items  

Donations of the following new, unopened items may be dropped off at PCCNCF (3850 NW 83rd Street, 2nd Floor) Monday through Thursday from 9am to 8pm and Friday from 9am to 5pm.  

  • toilet paper
  • laundry detergent
  • bleach
  • household cleaners
  • dish detergent
  • body wash
  • deodorant
  • shaving cream
  • toothpaste
  • toothbrushes
  • razors
  • menstrual products

For any group interested in holding a drive to collect essentials, we will gladly provide bags with a list of all needed items. Please email your requested number of bags to gaap@gainesvillepride.org. 

Donate financially 

GAAP does not receive federal or state grants. We rely solely on the generosity of the community to be able to provide our services. All donations are tax-deductible.   

General GAAP donations

Your donation will help increase our program’s outreach and support those living with HIV/AIDS:  

  • Expand the types and quantity of household and personal essentials provided  
  • Increase the number of clients served and the number of meals offered per week  
  • Provide outreach and program scope outside the Gainesville area into greater Alachua County and nearby rural counties  
  • Offer delivery options for homebound clients and those recently discharged from hospitalizations  
  • Purchase appropriate insulated food delivery containers to ensure meals are kept at required food-safe temperatures  
  • Reimburse volunteer drivers for mileage and gas  

Lunch sponsorship 

For $150, your donation will feed 30+ people! 

Please indicate “GAAP donation” or “GAAP lunch sponsorship,” as applicable, in the note section before completing your online donation. 

Donate here!

Volunteer

GAAP is 100% volunteer run! Opportunities for volunteering are: 

  • cooking and cleaning up after lunch  
  • organizing our essential-item storage  
  • checking in clients 
  • distributing lunches, food pantry items, and essentials 
Volunteer here!

Contact

Distribution

First United Methodist Church 
419 NE 1st Street 
Gainesville, Florida 

Inside the Fellowship Hall 

Tuesday: 8:30am-12pm 

Donation Drop-off for Essential Items

Pride Community Center of North Central Florida
3850 NW 83rd Street, Unit 201
Gainesville, Florida 

Within the Progressive Collective in the Springhill Professional Center 

Monday-Thursday: 9am-8pm 

Friday: 9am-5pm 

Email: gaap@gainesvillepride.org 

Phone: (352) 373-8915 

Mailing Address:
Pride Community Center of North Central Florida  
PO Box 5383  
Gainesville, Florida 32627