Every month the volunteers of this unique organization are blessed time and again by the recipeints who say that $25 was a life saver last month. Community Pantry allows them to buy cleaning and hygiene products that they cannot buy with food stamps. The people who work at Family Dollar where our recipients shop tell us wonderful stories about recipeints after the vouchers are distributed each month. It is truly a one of a kind organization whose model should be duplicated by communities throughout America.
Community Pantry, Inc, providess services to approximately 350 qualified clients in Rabun County Gerogia through the distribution of montly $25.00 vouchers to be used for non-food items such as personal hygiene and house-cleaning products. Numerous community volunteers work together to raise funds through an annual letter writing campaign, working at festivals, and providing creative arts projects for fundraisers. Funds go directly to the clients. The volunteers also administer the program since there are no paid staff. The clients depend on this resource, and are always appreciative of the service. Two local businesses participate in the effort to meet the needs of the community by accepting the vouchers. Kathy Booker - Board Member
Community Pantry, Inc, a 501 (c) (3) charity founded in 2000, serves the needy of Rabun County, Georgia by providing a monthly $25 voucher for either six or twelve months to 350 clients who are authorized through Ninth District Opportunity. The voucher can be used at one of two local stores (Family Dollar and Andy's Market) to purchase personal hygiene and household cleaning products. It is an all-volunteer organization that operates out of St. James Episcopal Church in Clayton, Georgia so there is very little overhead. More than 95% of the donations and grant money goes directly to vouchers. Volunteers from the community serve food at local festivals, make and sell raffle items and participate in other events to raise the money to cover the cost of our annual appeal letter, insurance and other fees. I have been on the interdenominational board for six years, serving as president the last four. We serve our clients with love and compassion and have increased the number of clients and the voucher amount several times over the years. Our board members and advisory board members are very committed to Community Pantry and most of them have served on one of the boards for many years, but we recruit new board members annually. We have a great working relationship with Family Dollar and Andy's and work closely with Ninth District to ensure we serve our clients well. Beverly Mannes, President through 2012