Northern Nevada Moses Project

Jon and Elishia Gift

President (Elishia) Founders

Elishia Gift is the biological mother of 3, step-mother to 1, foster mother to 5 and grandmother to 1 beautiful grandchild. Running a household of 12 is chaotic on its best day, to add to the chaos, she runs a non-profit organization that she and her husband started from the ground up. Today, Northern Nevada Moses Project is a thriving nonprofit that strives to support a community in need. This is how it started. August 2020 Elishia Gift and her husband Jon Gift became licensed foster parents in the state of Nevada. They would soon learn just how unprepared they were for foster children and learn just how much support children placed in care needed. Many children come with nothing but the clothing on their back. It became painfully obvious to the Gift family, that there was an overwhelming need for support in rural Northern Nevada for foster children, foster families, homeless youth, and families in crisis. By September 2020, Northern Nevada Moses Project was born. In March of 2021, Northern Nevada Moses Project was founded officially on State, City and Federal levels from the ground up. March 2021 a fellow foster parent started the Reno branch, under the new official 501(c)3 status. June 2022, Elishia and Jon opened the Foster Boutique in downtown Elko. June 2022, a fellow foster parent started the Fernley branch under the 501(c)3. October 2022, the Northern Nevada Moses Project added an emergency pantry in Elko, soon to be one in Spring Creek. January 2023, a former foster youth started the Winnemucca branch under the 501(c)3. In just over 2 years the Northern Nevada Moses Project has grown enough to cover most of rural Northern Nevada’s foster community with 4 different branches. In 2022, 357 children were given support in the form of clothing, shoes, beds, bedding, food, toiletries, gift cards, cleaning supplies, furniture, and miscellaneous requests. Northern Nevada Moses project is currently run by foster parents and former foster youth that donate their time and resources selflessly. This is all done to raise confidence levels of foster children, giving these children back a sense of power and ease some of the uncertainty that comes with being placed into foster care or having the stigma of further impoverished conditions. It is a labor of love, with all of our support coming solely from community support. It is truly humbling to see so many people and businesses come together to support our most vulnerable population!

Kelsey Merchant

Board Member

I moved to Nevada about 3 and half years ago from Wyoming. My husband Trevor and I have one 5-year-old daughter who keeps us on our toes! In my free time, I enjoy traveling, being outside with my chickens and crafting. As a strong advocate for life, I am so excited to support NNMP in their strategic mission to help children in foster care improve the quality of their situation by helping to meet their everyday needs and beyond.

Gimarie Pitts

Board Member

My name is Gimarie Pitts, I am originally from Puerto Rico and I moved to Spring Creek 12 years ago when I got married to Shad Pitts, with whom I have had 4 biological children and currently expecting our 5th and last, we have also fostered several children -currently have our 3 foster girls- and we in the process of adoption. While living in Spring Creek, I have been a stay at home mom, ran my own business and started the Elko County Foster Closet which collected items for children in care and has currently merged with the Northern Nevada Moses Project as one. It’s a passion of mine to help our community while providing dignity to the families in need.

John and Katie Dudley

Board Members

Hi. We are John and Katie Dudley. We own Nuts Under A Buck, the mini donut trailer. Owning our own business has been a dream come true. When we opened our small business, it was very important that our platform had community giving. When we found out about The Northern Nevada Moses Project, we knew we wanted to be a part of it. We are so grateful for this opportunity, and we look forward to this next chapter in our lives.

Ash Oneil

Winnemucca Branch Manager

Ash is a former foster youth who has been working hard to care for foster care and the community he lives in. He strives to help others, especially those who need him the most. Ash was born into a broken home with no one to care for him. He had to fight tooth and nail just to get his education and make something of himself. Now, he's a former foster youth who works tirelessly to make sure that everyone is taken care of and their needs are met.

Tabitha Stanley

Board Member

Hello my name is Tabitha Stanley. I was born and raised in Elko,NV. I by am a mom to 3 beautiful kids and also a wife to my husband Justin Stanley. I love to volunteer and give back to the community. I also run Turkey For Kids. Also love being on the e board of the Northern Nevada Moses Project .

Melissa Holbert

Director

Melissa Holbert was born in Durango, Colorado in 1990. Her family moved to Elko, Nevada when she was one year old and she considers it her “HOME”. She went to Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada and graduated in 2011 with her Associates of Applied Sciences with an emphasis on welding technology. She worked in the trades industries for nine years and pursued her career which took her to San Antonio,Texas in 2018. She lived there for two and a half years until she married Levi Holbert in September of 2020 and they were expecting their first child, at which point they decided to move back home to be closer to family. She started working with the Gift family during the summer of 2022, through a program called Foster The City, which was adopted by her church. The vision of Foster The City is to come alongside foster children and families to help form a support network by supporting them in practical ways as well as wrapping them with prayer. Melissa saw what a huge need there was in her community for a program like The Moses Project and began helping out however she could with the nonprofit as well. When the Gift family made the decision to move to South Dakota, they approached her and asked her to prayerfully consider taking on a bigger role in the nonprofit, so that it could continue to serve the community and care for as many children and families as possible. “I am humbled and honored and joyfully accept this responsibility! It is my hope and prayer that we can continue to carry on John and Elishia‘s vision and come alongside our most precious and vulnerable!” ~Melissa Holbert

Jade Hassen

Board Member

Pamela Sheets

Board Member

Hi. My name is Pamela Sheets. I have lived in Elko County for 26 years, moving from Utah with my husband Rick and two youngest children. We have currently resided in Elko the past 15 years and prior, lived in Spring Creek for 11 years. I am a mom of five amazing children who are my entire heart. Two of my children are biological and three are adopted. My adoption journey has span over 35 years, and I am a former foster parent. We are grandparents to nine. I can attest that families are formed in many ways, and it's love and commitment that create a family. I am a retired social worker and spent my social work career serving the children and families of Elko County. I have worked with various types of caregivers. I have personally witnessed the challenges that come when one selflessly steps up to be there for children in a second's notice. When I first learned of the formation of The Northern Nevada Moses Project, I was so excited knowing the great need for this in our community. I've observed the growth and the great things this organization has accomplished for so many. When children have their needs met, they can more easily thrive even in the hardest of circumstances. When families and caregivers can meet the basic needs, it allows them to focus on providing a stable environment for the social, emotional, safety, and educational needs for the family. When I was asked to become a board member, I accepted with a goal to contribute where I can in continuing this great work to serve our community and most precious resources, our children and those most vulnerable. I am greatful for this opportunity.