VAC raises enough funds to start dinner program
The VAC is now 90% of the way to the $25,000 match grant goal.
KCaulder@CalhounTimes.com
The Voluntary Action Center has now raised more than $22,592 through the anonymous $25,000 match fundraiser it announced earlier this month. All money raised through the fundraiser will go toward the VAC’s Hunger and Homeless Outreach programs, specifically its highly-anticipated dinner program, the rollout of which was pushed back earlier this year due to COVID-19.
“We are so excited to have this opportunity but also very humbled and blessed to have the support of Gordon County,” said Executive Director Stacy Long. “This match fundraiser has allowed the VAC to be able to begin serving dinner meals in the Community Kitchen just as soon as it’s safe to do so. Thank you all for helping make this dream a reality now instead of later.”
The VAC is now 90% of the way to its $25,000 match goal and is continuing to accept donations by mail at P.O. Box 631, Calhoun, GA 30703 or via the organization’s PayPal, which can be found on the
VAC website, www.voluntaryactioncenter.org. Donations can also be dropped off in person at the VAC Thrift Store.
The match fundraiser has been funded entirely by an anonymous donor. Other programs to benefit from the money raised include the VAC’s community kitchen, food pantry and laundry and shower facilities, among others.
In 2019, the food pantry provided 2,926 families with food bags, feeding 6,980 individuals. The community kitchen served 30,421 hot meals in the same year. The shower and laundry facilities were utilized 352 and 485 times respectively.
GRANT,
the lives of the people we serve,” Long said. “We are looking forward to September and some of the later months of the year and what we are worried about is what happens when benefits run out and folks, especially those who have been sick, are faced with new bills. We expect that we’re going to be hit hard, so we are thankful for this opportunity.”
The store is open for business Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
The Voluntary Action Center is located at 343 S. Wall St. in Calhoun.
CFL will be located at a newly constructed 252,000-square-foot facility at 3576 Highway 41 in Calhoun, with plans to build another 250,000 square feet in the near future.
The building is in a privately developed industrial area just north of Adairsville.
The company will be the anchor tenant in the newly developed Gordon County Industrial Park, according to Larry Roye, who chairs the Development Authority of Gordon County.
“CFL will be a strong asset to our community’s industrial base, and we are proud that this company has chosen to expand their global footprint in Calhoun and Gordon County,” said Kathy Johnson, the authority’s president and CEO.
Others involved in the negotiations included Georgia Department of Economic Development Project Manager Kevin Dodson, the Georgia Quick Start program, the