About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2020)
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Tuesday, June 23, 2020 3A Real estate agency hosting donation drive BY KELSEY PODO kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com Community members can drop off hygiene products Saturday for families who have recently become homeless amid the corona- virus pandemic. Crye-Leike Real Estate Services Buford- Flowery Branch will open its Buford office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 27. People are encouraged to donate hygiene prod ucts and other items like shampoo, deodor ant, bars of soap, laun dry detergent and dish soap. Kim Dontje, man aging broker of Crye-Leike, said the agency partnered with Table Ministries. Dontje shared in a press release that she has known Lisa Pat terson, the founder of Table Ministries since 2006 and looks forward to making a positive impact on the community. “Her (Patterson) mission to help the hidden homeless in our area is amazing,” Dontje stated. “I see firsthand the impact COVID-19 has had on our friends and fami lies in this community. We want to do all we can to help our commu nity members recover quickly from this health crisis.” The drop-off loca tion is at 4949 Lanier Islands Parkway in Buford. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, people can stay in their vehicles while making their donation. Crye-Leike agents will wear masks and gloves and collect the items in the parking lot. Dignity Drive What: Drive-thru donation drive to support homeless families When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 27 Where: Crye-Leike office, 4949 Lanier Islands Parkway, Suite 101, Buford More info: Katie Wainman at 615-221-0446 or katie.wainman@crye-leike.com ‘I see firsthand the impact COVID-19 has had on our friends and families in this community. We want to do all we can to help our community members recover quickly from this health crisis.’ Kim Dontje manager, Crye-Leike Real Estate Services Dahlonega man dies after car accident BY KELSEY PODO kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com A 68-year-old Dahlonega man died after a single-vehicle accident on Thursday, June 18, near Clay Creek Falls Drive, according to the Georgia State Patrol. Troopers from Post 37 in Cumming responded to the incident on Thursday, and the investigation found that a 2015 Nissan Murano had been traveling west on Ga. 9 before driving off the north shoulder of the road and hitting a culvert. Both Bobby Chaffin, the driver, and Judy Chaffin, the passenger, suffered “visible inju ries,” Troopers from Post 37 said. The two 68-year-olds were taken to an area hospital, and Bobby Chaffin died from his injuries on Friday, June 19. The status of Judie Chaffin’s condition has yet to be released. Tiny box, mighty deed Lula community members establish Blessing Box in downtown A group of community members in Lula donated hygiene products and food to establish a Blessing Box on June 20, which sits outside of Amanda’s Farm to Fork. BY KELSEY PODO kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com Outside of a restaurant off Main Street in Lula, the best things can come in a small package. A gray wooden container with the words “Blessing Box” painted in white, invites people to take what they need of the many food and hygiene products, but also “leave what you can.” The project sparked from Mandy Stewart, a Lula resident and active member of Liberty Baptist Church. Stewart said the Blessing Box was born from wanting to combine her passion for helping others and her gift from God of “finding deals.” Through couponing and a knack for hunting down sales, Stewart said she has accumulated a stockpile of nonper ishable goods and other products for her family. She used a portion of that inven tory to jump start Lula’s Blessing Box. “I wanted to get the community involved in something where they could feel a part of it,” Stewart said. “In a world where there’s so much hate, I just want to spread some love and compassion.” After seeing other blessing boxes across the U.S. in a Google search, Stew art and her husband Eric, who is the pastor of Liberty Baptist Church, set to building the box. They placed it outside of Amanda’s Farm to Fork on June 20, and since then, Stewart said people have contributed nonperishable food and hygiene products like deodorant, tooth paste and toothbrushes. Amanda Browning, owner of Aman da’s Farm to Fork on 5955 Main St. in Lula, said she happily volunteered to host the box outside of her restaurant. Within hours of filming a Facebook Live video about the project, she said the sup port came flooding in. “Our area itself is phenomenal for these sorts of things,” Browning said. “We had a really good outpour as far as people wanting to contribute.” Unlike food pantries, which are only open for certain hours, the Blessing Box is a 24/7 operation. Stewart said there is no limit on what people can take because the community will replenish it regularly. Only a couple of days since starting the Blessing Box, Stewart said people have started to use its resources. “It’s open for anybody,” she said. “I want people to see it, and say, ‘It’s OK for me to take out of this.’ If people have the opportunity to give back, leave what you can.” As more people start taking items from the Blessing Box, Stewart said she’ll develop a better idea of the com munity’s needs. She plans to update the Lula’s Blessing Box Facebook page with a list of most needed products. Stewart said she hopes the ministry will inspire other communities around Hall County to establish their own boxes. “I’m glad we can be a little part of the hands and feet of Jesus,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how God uses this to reach lives and change our little community.” Lula’s Blessing Box What: Container with free-to-take food and hygiene products Where: 5955 Main St., Lula Hours: 24/7 More info: Lula’s Blessing Box Facebook page Photo courtesy Amanda Browning Hall Co. school board designates ESPLOST funds for new school BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com The Hall County Board of Education approved the use of $1.64 million worth of Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax money for facility expansion projects, including the construction of one of four new planned elementary schools. The yet-to-be-named school — cur rently referred to by the board as replace ment elementary school No. 1 — will be designed and constructed by Lindsay Pope Brayfield Inc. The school, which will be built on Ramsey Road, will serve as a replacement for White Sulphur Elemen tary and Riverbend Elementary schools. The district approved the use of $1.1 mil lion in ESPLOST funds to complete the project. There is no current timeline on when construction will begin on the new school, but HCSD director of facilities and con struction Matt Cox said the school district would be “very aggressive” in getting the project completed as soon as possible. Another $425,000 of the ESPLOST money will be used to construct a new performing arts center at Johnson High School. Robertson Loia Roof, PC was cho sen to construct the building. Superinten dent Will Schofield said that a decision on a new performing arts center for West Hall High School would be next on the docket. The remaining $115,000 of ESPLOST funds will be used for new cameras and intercom systems at the main entrances of all Hall schools. Schofield said the new cameras and intercom systems would allow front office workers to communi cate both visually and verbally with people from outside of the school buildings. SCOn ROGERS I The Times The Thompson family cemetery that was previously on private property in North Hall has been moved to Alta Vista cemetery in Gainesville. CEMETERY ■ Continued from 1A “The city went to bat for us,” said Julius Hulsey, a Gainesville lawyer heavily involved in the issue. “Had it not been for that, we would have been in trouble on this thing.” The move was approved Jan. 9 by the Hall County Board of Commissioners. Southeastern Archeo logical Services of Athens oversaw the digging up and moving of graves, which have arranged in neat rows at Alta Vista. A marker describing the move is also at the family plot. “They wanted (the new site) just like it was when the Corps moved it where it was before,” said Hulsey, him self a descendant. “We had a Corps map and pictures, so the archaeologist had every thing to go by.” Plans are underway to have a formal ceremony dedicating the ceremony, but that date is uncertain because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We want to do it when we can get a lot of the descen dants here,” Hulsey said.
