Towne Lake is a beautiful area of Woodstock. Throughout the area there are several non-profit organizations and initiatives that strive to fill the gap for those in need. With the holidays in the not-too-distant future, perhaps it is true that awareness is half the battle in successfully helping community members in need. This is a great time to take the opportunity to donate time or resources to the various organizations within the community.
One key area to focus on with the holidays in the future involves the food needs of those throughout Cherokee County. At the surface, it may be easy to forget or overlook that there are those struggling to put food on the table in Cherokee County. The Cherokee County School District annual report shared that 31.75% of students enrolled in the 2012-2013 school year qualified for free/reduced lunch. Consider the fact that at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year Cherokee County School District was expecting 40,200. That translates to 12,763 students that would qualify for free/reduced lunch. It is important to note that this only reflects the number of students that have families that applied for this help and qualified for this help. Surely there are others that just barely fell outside of the range to qualify and others that have not applied. Many of these students count on the free/reduced lunch program for their meals, and when school is on break it may mean a break from nourishment.The following organizations are just a few within our readership area that provide food support for families in Cherokee County:
Papa’s Pantry
Located in Woodstock and Canton, Papa’s Pantry is currently collecting Thanksgiving food items. They are also seeking volunteers to fill a variety of roles including office help, publication help, fundraising, and more. This is a very local opportunity for those in the Towne Lake area.
Forever Fed
This is a mobile food ministry that aims to feed the hungry in North Georgia. They are 100% volunteer driven. Visit the Signup Genius online sign up sheet for more information regarding volunteer opportunities with Forever Fed.
Must Ministries
Offering a variety of services to those located in Cherokee and Cobb Counties, MUST Ministries currently is seeking volunteers. A large variety of individual or group opportunities is available if you are interested in donating you time. At present, MUST Ministries is anticipating filling over 1,000 Thanksgiving baskets for families. Find out more about how to donate time or resources here.
Visit the Helping Hands page in the TowneLaker Magazine for more information about these organizations and others in the area. For a complete list of local nonprofits and volunteer opportunities in the Cherokee County area, visit volunteercherokee.org.
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