The Fayette County Commission is asking local residents to share their blessings this Thanksgiving by contributing to Fayette County non-profit organizations that help families in need.
“We have some great organizations that assist a lot of individuals and families very efficiently and the Board wants to highlight what they do and ask our citizens to pitch-in,” said Chairman Steve Brown.
Five organizations were chosen to be featured at Thursday’s commission meeting:
• Fayette Samaritans is a Christian ministry serving those in need in Fayette County. They provide food, clothing, and financial assistance for selected emergency needs.
Fayette Samaritans was charted in 1991, with representatives from 11 Fayette County churches, to assess and coordinate the critical needs of area residents who may not qualify for assistance from other agencies. They are primarily supported by more than 65 churches on a daily basis.
To find out how you can donate to Fayette Samaritans, visit www.fayettesamaritans.org, or call 770-719-2707.
• The Real Life Center is a non-profit organization designed to help hurting people by giving them a means to cope with the financial, emotional, and spiritual hardships of life.
The mission of The Real Life Center is to help those facing life’s unanticipated challenges by offering hope, guidance, and encouragement.
The Real Life Center was founded in 1998 by Dogwood Church and partners with additional churches, community organizations and businesses. By collaborating with supporting community referrals, The Real Life Center helps equip individuals and families to navigate through their struggles.
You can assist The Real Life Center by visiting www.reallifecenter.org or by calling 770-631-9334.
• Grandparents & Kin Raising Children was established in 2006 by Fayette FACTOR parents, recognizing the special needs of grandparents and older caregivers who raise their grandchildren and other youngsters.
The organization established support groups, newsletters, training seminars, and assists in navigating the local and state agencies.
These grandparents are solely responsible for raising their grandchildren and over 1,000 grandparents in Fayette County have made the commitment to not let their grandchildren go into foster care.
Grandparents and Kin Raising Children provides support groups, information and resource connections, scholarships, an annual summer camp, back-to-school supplies, holiday support and family activities.
You can help some of our grandparents in need through Grandparents and Kin Raising Children by visiting www.fayettefactor.org/gkrc—grandparents-and-kin-raising-children.html or calling 770-716-9711.
• Midwest Food Bank is a faith-based, non-denominational, nonprofit organization created in 2003 when the Kieser family began providing food out of a building on their family farm.
With a beginning of serving about 10 food pantries in McLean County, Ill., Midwest Food Bank now serves approximately 500 organizations across the Midwest with food provided to over 100,000 people monthly.
Midwest Food Back stepped in to help with the Hurricane Katrina disaster, supplying food and supplies to the residents of Hattiesburg, Miss. Throughout the years, Midwest Food Bank has continued to steadily grow, distributing over $1 million in food each month.
Midwest Food Bank is a spiritually directed community organization consisting of hundreds of volunteers, donors, and corporate partners, all operating to serve those in need. The Georgia Division of Midwest Food Bank, which is located in Peachtree City, helped in the recent disaster left behind by the F5 Tornado in north Georgia in May.
Visit www.midwestfoodbank.org or call 770-486-1103.
• Bloom is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1986 by Fayette County citizens recognizing the need for children to have safe refuge from abuse and neglect.
Throughout its history, Bloom has worked in a relationship with Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes to provide the clinical services and staff for children. A second facility opened in 1998, and in 2005 the locations were consolidated into one home, the Friday-Johnson Home located in Brooks, Ga.
Bloom has responded to the rising number of displaced children under the age of 6 in need of care, and it further expanded its services in 2007.
Bloom is licensed to recruit, train and support a network of family foster care homes serving children of all ages.
Bloom’s mission is to provide safe shelter and physical, educational, and emotional support to children who have been victims of abuse, neglect, or other tragic circumstances, in order to strengthen them for the next phase of life.
Their programs are based on the conviction that each child is an individual with the right to the kind of care that meets his or her needs regardless of sex, race, creed, national origin, or social circumstances.
Bloom works to preserve and strengthen a child’s relationship with family members when possible, and holds that each youth has a right to stability, security, continuity, and a plan for permanence.
To find out how you can assist these children, please see www.bloomouryouth.org or call 770-461-7020.
For a more comprehensive listing of charitable organizations in Fayette County you may contact Fayette FACTOR at 770-716-2797 or visit www.fayettefactor.org.
This Thanksgiving endeavor is part of the Board of Commissioners’ effort to raise awareness of people and organizations that are doing good things in our community.
