Granny’s House Marks 25 Years of Bringing Columbia’s Kids Home

Twenty-five years ago, Pamela “Granny Pam” Ingram and her husband Ellis opened the door of a small after-school program at the Trinity Place public housing development in Columbia, on May 26, 2001. On Saturday, the program they started — now known simply as Granny’s House — marked that quarter-century with an open house on Worley Street, and a proclamation from the city naming the day in its honor.

What began as one family’s effort to give neighborhood kids somewhere safe to land after school has grown into a full program at 110 E. Worley St., offering after-school care, mentorship, help with school supplies and transportation, college-prep support, and a steady shoulder for kids going through a hard stretch. Along the way, it grew its building, too — Veterans United and Anderson Homes helped add 1,600 square feet of space to keep up with the need.

Granny Pam didn’t live to see the 25th anniversary — she died of stage four intestinal cancer in November 2022, at 90 — but Saturday’s open house made a point of keeping her close to it. Organizers put together a small display of her belongings, including her Bible and her handmade jewelry, so the kids and families who’ve come through the program over two and a half decades could see where it started. Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe issued a proclamation declaring the day “Granny’s House Day” in the city.

“The greatest legacy isn’t just the building,” one parent told the Columbia Missourian. “It’s the people and community that built all of this with heart as well.”

Twenty-five years on, that’s still the pitch: a house on Worley Street where a kid can get a snack, a ride, help with homework, or just someone to talk to — the same thing Granny Pam set out to build in 2001.