Pam Ingram

When Pam Ingram founded Granny’s House, she envisioned a space where children from any background could come to experience God’s love firsthand. Pam spent the majority of her childhood living in public housing in Kansas City. After graduating from MU’s School of Journalism, she married her husband, Ellis, and the pair began a life together, which they dedicated to serving God.

Pam co-founded a door-to-door outreach, FreePrayer, which gave her insight into the struggles felt by members of Columbia’s public housing community. She felt as though many of the children that she interacted with were simply waiting for life to happen for them. Pam knew in her heart that she had to do something for those kids.

Granny’s House is exactly like your grandmother’s house – a safe place where children can come to play, eat, do homework, or simply be heard. Volunteers from churches across the Columbia area help Pam to give these children opportunities that those surrounding them may not have. The volunteers come from various walks of life, yet they all have one commonality, a heart that is dedicated to the children. “We see children’s lives change,” Pam says.

The most rewarding part for Pam is when former Granny’s House kids come back to share their stories about what Granny’s House meant to them. Though her role as executive director may sometimes be challenging, Pam keeps herself grounded by staying in a place of God’s love. When she needs extra inspiration, she looks to the door of her office, which is covered in notes from the children she has served. Her hope is that some of the happiest memories for these children was to have been at Granny’s House. “I absolutely love my job,” she says.