Meet the team

Angelina Zayas - CEO & Co-Founder Lynette Medrano - Social Services

Rachel Mercado - Financial Director Dayanna Hernandez - Social Services

Selina Roldan - Grant Manager

Erica Martinez - Program Director

Nancy Rosario - Outreach Director

Carmen Rodriguez - Food Bank Coordinator

Xiomara Acevado - Food Bank Coordinator

Elsie Rodriguez - Food Bank Coordinator

Niyah Gomez - Social Media Manager

Grace and Peace Church

Spanish Housing Coalition 

Family Focus – Family and Children Services 

The History of the GAP Community Center

In the mid-1990s, John and Angelina Zayas were emerging leaders in their church with a love for their neighborhood. John coached football and Angelina taught preschool, and together they started an afterschool program in their home to unlock the potential in the next generation of young people in their community. 

As they worked tirelessly to love the people around them, others took notice, including John and Angelina’s church, Grace and Peace Fellowship, who invested in them as leaders and trained them to be pastors. Then, a pair of generous donors purchased a two-story former Lutheran private school at 2100 N Kildare, around the corner from their home in the Hermosa community. Outfitted with classrooms, a gym, kitchen, and some office space, it was a safe place for children to learn and play from day one. GAP Community Center was born. 

Over the years, and with support from the church, the work of GAPCC expanded. In 2004, another generous donor purchased a three-flat house in Hermosa to provide shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence, creating the Safe Harbor program that has provided shelter and support to dozens of families. 

GAP also added its food pantry in 2004, serving up to 35 families a week with food donated from local grocery stores and bakeries. The GAPCC continued to expand its services with events that served hundreds of families each year. These events blessed families with free health checks, school supplies, and Christmas gifts and the events have continued since then.

In 2009, Pastor John and Pastora Angelina returned to the roots of their work to launch GAPAdemics After School and Summer Program. Starting with homework assistance, the program grew to include enrichment activities to foster academic curiosity and promote holistic wellness. The Summer Program came to serve up to a hundred students each year and employ up to 25 young people in jobs that serve their community. 

In 2016, GAP Community Center reorganized to become a 501(c)3 organization separate from the work of Grace and Peace, establishing a new board under the leadership of Angelina as Executive Director. The organization continues under that structure today while maintaining a close partnership with Grace and Peace Church, where Pastor John is the Senior Pastor. 

In 2019, GAP Community Center relocated from its longtime home in Hermosa to The Revive Center at 1856 N LeClaire Ave, which sits on the border between the North Austin and Belmont Cragin neighborhoods. Since then, GAPCC has greatly expanded its disaster relief work, sending millions of pounds of food, water, clothing, and other supplies to disaster-stricken areas like Puerto Rico, Texas, Florida, and Panama. 

In response to the crises created by COVID-19 in 2020, GAPCC partnered with Grace and Peace Church to launch a Food Bank that supplies 1,200 families with food each week and up to a dozen food pantries each month to do the same in their communities. Since March of 2020, GAPCC has distributed millions of pounds of food to over 600,000 families, thanks to partnerships with the US Department of Agriculture and the Greater Chicago Food Depository

As GAP Community Center has grown, its mission has remained the same as when Pastor John and Pastora Angelina opened up their home to neighborhood kids – to unlock the potential in and with our community.