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The Oglethorpe Echo
Thursday, December 14, 2023
2024 RESOURCE GUIDE
Nonprofits, individuals come together to help year-round
By Riley Kehoe, Lilly Kersh,
Janai Wells, Samantha
Hurley, Sydney Rainwater
and Navya Shukla
The Oglethorpe Echo
An array of nonprofits, govern
ment organizations, churches and
other institutions offer assistance
throughout the year to individuals
and families in need in Ogletho:
1 County. 1
About 11.1% of the 14,825 peo
ple who lived in Oglethorpe Coun
ty experienced poverty in 2022,
the most recent data available
from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Here???s an overview of resourc
es, from hot meals to fresh food to
diapers to classes and more, that
are available year-round. The list
includes contact information for
those who nefd help arql ways to
support these efforts.
*Ifyou know of other resources
not listed, please contact us at cov-
eringpovertysi te(a>gmail.com.
SENIORS
Oglethorpe County
Senior Center
oglethorpecountyga.gov/seniors
706-743-8848
crobinson @ oglethorpecounty ga.
gov
19 Oglethorpe Drive, Crawford
The Senior Center provides a
variety of services to individuals
aged 60 and older. 1
Seniors who can drive and walk
into the center can fill out a mem
bership application in person.
Those clients, also known as ???con
gregate clients,??? can come to the
center five days a week to receive
a hot meal for lunch and do an ac-
i livil v with ilie other seniors.
The center is part of the
Oglethorpe County government.
Homebound clients should call
the Northeast Georgia Regional
Commission (706-583-2546). The
commission will fill out an assess
ment report and send the informa
tion to Corie Robinson, the center???s
director. She will visit the client???s
home to set them up to receive a
weekly delivery of frozen meals to
last the whole week. To sign up, se
niors should provide a photo ID, a
list of emergency contacts, a list of
medications and an insurance card.
There is a $60 annual member
ship fee ($5/month), which can
be made in payments throughout
the year. If someone is unable to
pay, there are sponsorships for free
memberships available.
Robinson said to contact her
if the membership fee is a barri
er and she will provide assistance.
In addition, there is also a required
donation of $2 for every meal, $5
for non-member family members
and friends.
The center takes individuals to
doctor appointments within the
county (must be scheduled in ad
vance) and to the grocery store,
bank and pharmacy on Tuesdays.
The center has a gym that is open
from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
The center also takes trips twice
a month. The trips require a $3 do
nation, while they require a $2 do
nation for meals ($5 for non mem
bers).
The center partners with the
Ninth District Community Agen
cy with heating and cooling assis
tance; contact the NDO at 1-855-
636-3108.
The calendar of events and the
menu for each week is printed in
The Oglethorpe Echo; the month
ly calendar of events is on its
Facebook page.
???Everyone, every staff mem
ber here, is here because they care,
and they love each and every one
of these members and our clients,
and I cannot think of anything bet
ter than working in a place where
you get to give back to the com
munity that you live in,??? Robinson
said. ???You know, it???s just fantas
tic. I can't even almost put it into
words.???
Students Serving Seniors
Oglethorpe County Extension and
4-H Office
extension.uga.edu/county-offices/
oglethorpe.html
706-743-8341
55 Oglethorpe Drive, Crawford
The Oglethorpe County 4-H
Club introduced an initiative in
2022 to help senior citizens with
small chores.
???We team up with the Senior
Center and (connect with) some el-
SARAH DONEHOO/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Erin Campbell, founder of the Athens Area Diaper Bank, moves boxes labeled for Oglethorpe
County at the organization's warehouse in Bogart. The nonprofit sends free diapers to locations in
Oglethorpe County.
derly folks around the county who
just need some simple help around
the house, around the yard, and we
go and help them out,??? said Mar
cus Eason, Oglethorpe County 4-H
agent.
Through a questionnaire distrib
uted at the Senior Center, the 4-H
learned of seniors' needs and re
quests for help at home. Students
involved in the program have the
opportunity to help others, con
tribute to household chores and
log community service hours. The
club has helped put up and deco
rate a Christmas tree, cut down
dead plants and rake leaves.
Students Serving Seniors has
served five households as a new
program with 18 youth partici
pants, according to the 4-H Of
fice???s 2023 impact statement. The
project's total participants have
logged over 90 community ser
vice hours and will continue in the
colder months, Eason said.
FAMILY SERVICES
Family Connection
Oglethorpe.gafcp.org
762-445-4020
amoore@oglethorpe.kl2.ga.us
735 Athens Road, Lexington
Family Connection connects
community members committed to
improving the well-being of chil
dren and families to the resourc
es people need. The organization
also can provide links to online re
sources, such as findhelp.org, and
see if families meet the criteria for
these programs.
There is no cost for assistance.
Coordinator April Moore said if she
doesn???t have an immediate answer,
she will research and reach out to
area partners and organizations.
???It???s just like a big family here,???
she said. ???People really want to
help and if there's not something
that we know automatically, or
that the person would qualify for,
so to speak, people just want to
help and sometimes we just figure
out a way and make it happen by
just talking and you know, seeing
if we can all pull together to give
that family or that person the sup
port they need.???
Moore said Family Connection
is working on/with organizations
and projects such as Athens Area
Diaper Bank, Community Day,
Community Christmas, literacy
events and the student athlete nu
trition and hydration program.
Oglethorpe County Extension
and 4-H Office
extension.uga.edu/county-offices/
oglethorpe.html
706-743-8341
55 Oglethorpe Drive, Crawford
The extension's Cooking to Share
Program provides meals cooked by
youth students to families in need
identified by the Oglethorpe school
district. The program is an effort
to foster students??? confidence with
cooking skills, kitchen safety and
to also teach them how to lead a
healthy lifestyle.
The program has raised approx
imately $5,150 for supplies and
ingredients, and over 80 families
have been impacted since 2013,
according to the 4-H Office???s 2023
impact statement. Over 2,000
youth have participated in the
community service opportunity,
which hosts a cooking event with
about 25 students once a month.
???Every family that comes to
pick (the meals) up are so grateful,
and they always say that the food???s
delicious,??? Eason said. ???This is for
the families but it???s also for the
kids. ... I have heard that the kids
go back home after they???ve par
ticipated and want to help cook
more.???
Athens Area Diaper Bank
athensareadiaperbank.com
706-621-7265
diapers @ athensareadiapers.com
130 Conway Drive, Suite E, Bog
art
The Athens Area Diaper Bank is
a resource for families struggling
with the expense of diapers. About
35 organizations partner with the
bank and distribute the diapers in
multiple counties: Athens-Clarke,
Barrow, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Jack-
son and Madison. The Athens Area
Diaper Bank began collecting dia
pers in 2015, founder and executive
director Erin Campbell said.
Free diapers are available at
Deliverance Temple Ministries
(220 Smithonia Road, Winterville
30683). If transportation isn???t
available, call 706-621-7265 to re
quest delivery.
Also, Community Christmas of
Oglethorpe County distributes free
diapers to families who have been
interviewed for assistance.
706-201-7241.
Call
Brightpaths
brightpathsathens.org
706-546-9713
info @ pcaathens.org
1450 Barnett Shoals Road, Athens
Brightpaths Athens offers multi
ple free programs to serve families
and parents in several counties, in
cluding Oglethorpe County. The
Healthy Families program teach
es child development, proper dis
cipline, healthy parent-child inter
actions and more through in-home
visits by Brightpaths' family sup
port specialists.
Brightpaths holds parenting
classes in both Spanish and Eng
lish at its Athens location, as well
as online sessions when needed. It
also offers the First Step program
in which new moms and the fami
lies of newborns at Athens-Clarke
County hospitals are visited within
12 to 48 hours of giving birth.
A family resource closet is at
the Brightpaths Athens location. It
is open from 9-11 a.m. Tuesdays
and 10 a.m. to noon Fridays. It
has items such as pack and plays,
diapers, baby food, formula and
strollers. Parents can take one can
of formula and one pack of diapers
per week as supplies last, and the
other items are given as needed.
Brightpaths also has a car seat
tech who can show families how
to install them.
To learn how to access these
programs, visit brightpathsathens.
org or call 706-546-9713. Go to
the "connect with us??? page and fill
out the registration form (bright-
pathsathens.org/programs/register-
online). You will receive a phone
call from Brightpaths after regis
tering.
Brightpaths accepts monetary
donations, as well as donations to
the resource closet; visit bright-
pathsathens.org/get-involved/do-
nate. You can find a list of need
ed items at brightpathsathens.org/
parents/shop.
Resource closet donations can
be dropped off at the center on
Tuesdays from 9-11 a.m. and on
Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon.
There are also volunteer opportu
nities for the Brightpaths fall fes
tival and a holiday party for the
families they serve.
There are also ongoing opportu
nities to help with administrative
work in the office or to staff the re
source closet on Friday mornings.
???I think it's important because
all parents need help,??? said Sallie
Starred, executive director.
Brightpaths provides connec
tion and education for those who
don't have a built-in support sys
tem from families and friends, she
added.
???So we're trying to kind of de
crease the stigma of asking for
help as a mom or dad,??? she said.
EDUCATION
Lena Wise Community Center
facebook.com/Lenawisecc
706-614-1044
lenawisecc @ gmail. com
134 Church St., Crawford
See RESOURCE GUIDE, Page 3
CHRISTMAS
CONCERT
Tuesday, December 19
7:00 PM
Historic Beth Salem Church
on East Church Street
Narrator: Tom Thon
Musicians: Chip Rosenthal,
Ken Mobley, Jack Parsons,
George Gray, Whitney Carnes,
Jeannette Coombs
Music and narration based on
parts of the Christmas story
\
DOWNTOWN
LEXINGTON
Sponsored by Lexington Downtown
Development Authority