The Second Harvest of South Georgia (1411 Harbin Circle Valdosta, GA 31601) announces the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded Child and Adult Care Food Program.  The same meals will be available at no separate charge to enrolled participants at the centers listed below. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits.  Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.  Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; fax: (202) 690-7442; or email: [email protected]. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Contact Winona Green at (229) 469-6929 for more information.

CENTER and ADMINISTRATIVE SPONSORS:

Jr. Eagles Tutoring Program: – a program of Wings of Eagles, Inc.

300 S. Madison Avenue, Quitman, GA 31643

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Child Nutrition Programs – Income Eligibility Guidelines for Free and Reduced-Price Meals are used to determine the rate that the center will be reimbursed for meals served in this program.                    

(This story is part of an ongoing series by Second Harvest CEO Frank Richards.)

Years ago, I had the privilege of serving with a Jimmy Carter Habitat for Humanity work project. That week we worked what felt like 24 hours a day feeding thousands of people. It was exhausting, but as in lots of stressful life situations, something happened that would forever change my life.  
It was there I met Esther. Esther was 84, and she could run circles around us all. As we worked, she would regale me with stories about living through Word War II and how she met her husband. She enjoyed the time she spent volunteering and never seemed to tire.

One afternoon we were cleaning up after lunch, and Esther began to share with me some of the happy moments in her life. Her husband had passed away, and she was in that stage of life where most folks begin to remember all their wonderful life adventures.

After she finished a story, I asked her to tell me one piece of advice she would give a young person. She became quiet and still, carefully contemplating her answer. With a new spark in her eyes she replied, “Always be willing to take a risk on behalf of someone who can’t- in doing this you will learn to love, trust, and have faith.”

I thought about this statement for weeks. How could I apply this to my own life and career? The more I thought, the more I realized how her words would guide me in growing the services of the food bank.

That fall I began to write a new personal mission statement that included taking risks on behalf of those who can’t and today. We at Second Harvest now take risks, and we do it on behalf of those who can’t.

The new Thomasville Distribution Center is a perfect example. It will change Southwest Georgia in ways that we can only dream. Placing a huge food hub in an area of the state that is stricken with poverty and need will bring about a fundamental change in how we collect and distribute food and emergency supplies.

We had to take a real leap of faith – faith that our communities would stand behind us, faith that we can make the difference we think we can. It was and is scary. It adds stress to our environment, but taking on a failing food bank, opening a new branch, or building a multimillion dollar distribution center, is the right thing to do. As Esther told me all those years ago, helping those who don’t have any options themselves is how we grow our faith and extend that faith to those who need us. Faith is the action that shows someone cares and will risk everything in their power to make a difference.

Hunger is a tremendous problem in South Georgia. 1 in 4 people struggle with hunger on a daily basis.   The situation is worse for our area children; 1 in 3 children don’t know where they’ll get their next meal. Our area has the highest rates of food insecurity in the state and is among the highest in the nation.

Hunger is a health problem, an educational problem, and an economic problem. While most of us will not feel the physical effects of hunger each day, it is suffering for which we all pay. The effects of hunger and lack of adequate nutrition are both immediate and long-lasting, plaguing the body, childhood development, and our regional economy. Estimates place the cost of childhood hunger at $542 per person annually. That means that hunger in just our children costs the people of South Georgia more than $400 million per year.

Second Harvest of South Georgia is already much more than just a food bank; we are a community leader and innovator having grown from a borrowed basement space in Valdosta to four distribution centers (Thomasville, Albany, and Douglas) covering nearly 13,000 square miles and 30 counties. We work with more than 400 partner charities across the area including domestic abuse shelters, food pantries and soup kitchens.  Our mission is feeding those in need, and our vision is a South Georgia without hunger.

Second Harvest is taking the steps necessary in order to bring about the lasting change in our area which will make our vision a reality.   We are leading the charge to combat hunger in our area, but we need your help.

The Williams Family Foundation has given us a very generous challenge grant. If we raise $500,000 in gifts and pledges toward the cost of our recently completed Thomasville facility in the 8 counties served by this new branch by December 31, 2016, they will donate an additional $500,000. This is an opportunity which we cannot miss – the chance to double the investments of our donors.  We can do this with your support.

You can help us capitalize on this tremendous opportunity!

We’re asking you to make a 5X5 commitment –$500 a year over the next 5 years.  Or make a one-time gift!

Click HERE to make your pledge today!

Email us at [email protected], call (229) 469-6925, or by mail at 1411 Harbin Circle, Valdosta, GA 31601.

Make a one-time online donation here.

Thank you for your continued support! We are making strides in the fight against hunger but we couldn’t do it without your help.