Philanthropic groups gear up to feed the hungry
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the volunteers of a Grovetown food pantry want to make sure everyone celebrates with a turkey on the table.
Angie and Bill Campbell, founders and operators of the United We Care food and clothing mission, and longtime volunteer Mona Gay, stand outside the Newmantown Road location. The mission is collecting turkeys and canned goods to provide Thanksgiving dinner for needy families in Grovetown.
Photo by Valerie Rowell
United We Care, a food and clothing mission serving the Grovetown area, distributes between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds of food per year to families in need, said Bill Campbell, who took over the struggling mission with his wife, Angie, in 1993.
The group is currently accepting donations of turkeys and nonperishable food items to pass out to those unable to purchase their own Thanksgiving dinner.
"We really need the help this year," Campbell said. "There are a lot of people out of jobs needing work."
Campbell and his volunteers handed out nearly 140 turkeys complete with fixings to those in need. The group had the Grovetown Department of Public Safety deliver 200 prepared meals to the elderly and others who can no longer cook for themselves.
The prepared meals come from Marvin United Methodist Church, but the mission is supported year round by four Grovetown churches: Grove Baptist, Grovetown United Methodist, Clifford Memorial Presbyterian and Fellowship Baptist. United We Care also receives food from the Golden Harvest Food Bank.
"We started with a bag of groceries and $4 in the bank. Now look what we have got," Campbell said, standing in a stocked food pantry at the current location on Newmantown Road.
The mission also provides clothing for all ages; housewares, including dishes, glassware and silverware; and it keeps a list for people in need of furniture.
As cooler weather sets in, Campbell said many have already been to the mission looking for sweaters and warm coats. He and his wife try to provide whatever is needed.
With the holidays quickly approaching, Campbell said the food stocks will soon dwindle. The mission is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.
Anyone wishing to donate a turkey to United We Care, can do so at 101 Newmantown Road.
Regular or after hours donations can be left at the Grovetown Department of Public Safety at 306 E. Robinson Ave.
Monetary donations should be made out in a check to United We Care and be sent to 410 Creek Side Drive, Grovetown, GA 30813.
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