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CLAYTON - Until recently, needy folks were out of luck if they needed a food pantry on a Tuesday.
While two pantries kept Friday hours, none were open on Tuesday. Realizing the problem, the Serve the Need in Johnston
County Organization stepped in to supply volunteers for Tuesday hours at Clayton Area Ministries.
It's one of the first steps the group is taking to improve local food-pantry operations.
"We were not working together at all," said Linda Whitley, who organizes food distribution at New Trinity Missionary Baptist
Church. "Now we're trying to work together."
Earlier this month, representatives of five church-run food pantries in Clayton met with "Serve the Need" leaders to hash out
a plan for collaboration. The main goal is to find some rent-free warehouse space where they can combine operations so no
the town's food pantries and serve sit-down meals on holidays.
With little promotion, it was hard for the needy to know which churches had food and when, Whitley said. "We don't know
where the population is that really needs the food, and the population doesn't know where we are," she said. "If we bind
together as a group, they'll have access to something to eat every day."
Dr. Norwood Williams, president of Serve the Need, wants to set up a volunteer-staffed hotline where people can find out
where food is given out. He also wants to increase the amount of food available and the number of volunteers involved with
local efforts.
"People don't like to give money like they used to -- they want to get involved," he said.
Williams estimates that the five Clayton-area food pantries gave out about 90,000 meals in 2009. But by his estimation,
Clayton is home to about 7,500 people who live below the poverty line, so more food is needed, he said.
Serve the Need members plan to start by setting up about 20 collection bins around town. They'll encourage beauty salons
to offer discounts to anyone who brings two cans of food to an appointment; the salons can deduct the discounts from their
taxes.
The group is also pushing restaurants and farmers to give leftovers they'd otherwise have to throw out. Some restaurants
had declined to do this in the past, citing liability concerns, Williams said, but he now has a letter from the county health
Swan Bar-B-Que.
Williams said he'd also like to see more holiday sit-down meals served to Clayton's needy. He's particularly interested in
Easter and Thanksgiving and is talking to several churches interested in hosting the meals.
To fund the programs, Serve the Need is seeking a $3,000 grant from the Town of Clayton. Williams said he sees the entire
project as an experimental model that the Organization can eventually implement in the Smithfield/Selma and
Princeton/Micro/Pine Level areas.
"I'm going to transfer this to other regions in this county," Williams said.
The food-distribution effort is the latest project for Serve the Need, a countywide group founded about a year ago to
improve services to the needy. It has provided scholarships to local high schoolers and recently wrapped up a series of five
community meetings in which residents could voice concerns and learn of available services.
colin.campbell@nando.com or 919-836-5768
New distribution schedule
Volunteers and donations are needed for Clayton food-pantry operations, which are now held five to six days a week at
varying locations. Clayton Area Ministries, 704 E. Main St., is open from 1 till 3 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Fridays. On Thursday evenings, New Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, 115 S. Robertson St., distributes food from 6 till 8
p.m. On Fridays, the food pantry at St. Ann Catholic Church, 4057 U.S. 70 Business, is open from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. And
Samaritan's Shelf at West Clayton Church of God, 1008 S. Lombard St., is open the third Saturday of each month from 10
a.m. till 1 p.m.
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While two pantries kept Friday hours, none were open on Tuesday. Realizing the problem, the Serve the Need in Johnston
County Organization stepped in to supply volunteers for Tuesday hours at Clayton Area Ministries.
It's one of the first steps the group is taking to improve local food-pantry operations.
"We were not working together at all," said Linda Whitley, who organizes food distribution at New Trinity Missionary Baptist
Church. "Now we're trying to work together."
Earlier this month, representatives of five church-run food pantries in Clayton met with "Serve the Need" leaders to hash out
a plan for collaboration. The main goal is to find some rent-free warehouse space where they can combine operations so no
the town's food pantries and serve sit-down meals on holidays.
With little promotion, it was hard for the needy to know which churches had food and when, Whitley said. "We don't know
where the population is that really needs the food, and the population doesn't know where we are," she said. "If we bind
together as a group, they'll have access to something to eat every day."
Dr. Norwood Williams, president of Serve the Need, wants to set up a volunteer-staffed hotline where people can find out
where food is given out. He also wants to increase the amount of food available and the number of volunteers involved with
local efforts.
"People don't like to give money like they used to -- they want to get involved," he said.
Williams estimates that the five Clayton-area food pantries gave out about 90,000 meals in 2009. But by his estimation,
Clayton is home to about 7,500 people who live below the poverty line, so more food is needed, he said.
Serve the Need members plan to start by setting up about 20 collection bins around town. They'll encourage beauty salons
to offer discounts to anyone who brings two cans of food to an appointment; the salons can deduct the discounts from their
taxes.
The group is also pushing restaurants and farmers to give leftovers they'd otherwise have to throw out. Some restaurants
had declined to do this in the past, citing liability concerns, Williams said, but he now has a letter from the county health
Swan Bar-B-Que.
Williams said he'd also like to see more holiday sit-down meals served to Clayton's needy. He's particularly interested in
Easter and Thanksgiving and is talking to several churches interested in hosting the meals.
To fund the programs, Serve the Need is seeking a $3,000 grant from the Town of Clayton. Williams said he sees the entire
project as an experimental model that the Organization can eventually implement in the Smithfield/Selma and
Princeton/Micro/Pine Level areas.
"I'm going to transfer this to other regions in this county," Williams said.
The food-distribution effort is the latest project for Serve the Need, a countywide group founded about a year ago to
improve services to the needy. It has provided scholarships to local high schoolers and recently wrapped up a series of five
community meetings in which residents could voice concerns and learn of available services.
colin.campbell@nando.com or 919-836-5768
New distribution schedule
Volunteers and donations are needed for Clayton food-pantry operations, which are now held five to six days a week at
varying locations. Clayton Area Ministries, 704 E. Main St., is open from 1 till 3 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Fridays. On Thursday evenings, New Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, 115 S. Robertson St., distributes food from 6 till 8
p.m. On Fridays, the food pantry at St. Ann Catholic Church, 4057 U.S. 70 Business, is open from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. And
Samaritan's Shelf at West Clayton Church of God, 1008 S. Lombard St., is open the third Saturday of each month from 10
a.m. till 1 p.m.
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NEWS ARTICLES This Page covers Newspaper Articles concerning the Organization. |
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BY COLIN CAMPBELL, STAFF WRITER
CLAYTON - The H1N1 flu vaccine and the effects of the recession on needy Johnstonians were hot topics at last week's
community meeting sponsored by the Serve the Need in Johnston County Organization.
Thursday's event was the second of five meetings the year-old group is holding around the county. The meetings give
residents a chance to ask questions and sound off to officials from a variety of county and town agencies, ranging from
parks and recreation to schools and mental health.
Frustration was evident in the voices of some who attended, as they detailed gaps in services for the needy during the
recession. Some were concerned about the closing of group homes, while others worried that food programs might not feed
families enough.
Several people wanted the agencies to help them in starting new programs. One woman said she wanted to start a youth
running program, and Clayton Parks and Recreation Director Larry Bailey said his department would be happy to help.
Serve the Need's goal is to match the needy with the many individuals, churches and government agencies that can help
them. Where services aren't available, the group seeks to create them. It has established a scholarship program to help
local high school graduates attend college.
The group has about 130 members throughout the county. The next community meeting will be held Thursday, Oct. 29, at
Corinth-Holders Elementary School. For residents of central Johnston County, a meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19 at
Smithfield-Selma High School. And in eastern Johnston County, the community meeting will be Jan. 21 at Micro-Pine Level
Elementary. All meetings are at 7 p.m.
The group's Website, servetheneedinjc.com, contains a listing of a variety of services available to the needy.
H1N1 flu update
County Health Director Marilyn Pearson said her department is now getting weekly shipments of the H1N1 flu vaccine.
High-risk groups are getting the vaccine first, but all residents will have access to it soon, she said.
"Eventually, I expect to have enough vaccines for everybody," Pearson said.
She said absenteeism has increased at schools throughout the county, but H1N1 flu is not concentrated in any particular
school. A spike in the number of cases occurred in the Benson area after Mule Days, she said.
Several cases of pneumonia have been reported as a result of the flu, but the virus has not caused any deaths in the
county.
Food programs
One woman asked about the status of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food program, which serves low-income
women who are pregnant or have young children. She was concerned that the program does not provide a full month of
food.
Pearson said WIC is a supplemental food program and is not intended to be a family's only source of food. She noted that
the number of people on the program in Johnston County has increased from 3,000 to 3,700 in the past year.
That means the department gets more funding for the program, but it's having a hard time processing all of the requests,
Pearson said.
"Without more staffing, that's an issue," she said. "We're doing the best we can."
Mental health
Another question involved the state's plan to close certain types of group homes.
"We're looking very hard right now to look for alternatives," said Janice Nutt, director of the Johnston County Mental Health
Center. "It's being monitored very closely."
CLAYTON - The H1N1 flu vaccine and the effects of the recession on needy Johnstonians were hot topics at last week's
community meeting sponsored by the Serve the Need in Johnston County Organization.
Thursday's event was the second of five meetings the year-old group is holding around the county. The meetings give
residents a chance to ask questions and sound off to officials from a variety of county and town agencies, ranging from
parks and recreation to schools and mental health.
Frustration was evident in the voices of some who attended, as they detailed gaps in services for the needy during the
recession. Some were concerned about the closing of group homes, while others worried that food programs might not feed
families enough.
Several people wanted the agencies to help them in starting new programs. One woman said she wanted to start a youth
running program, and Clayton Parks and Recreation Director Larry Bailey said his department would be happy to help.
Serve the Need's goal is to match the needy with the many individuals, churches and government agencies that can help
them. Where services aren't available, the group seeks to create them. It has established a scholarship program to help
local high school graduates attend college.
The group has about 130 members throughout the county. The next community meeting will be held Thursday, Oct. 29, at
Corinth-Holders Elementary School. For residents of central Johnston County, a meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19 at
Smithfield-Selma High School. And in eastern Johnston County, the community meeting will be Jan. 21 at Micro-Pine Level
Elementary. All meetings are at 7 p.m.
The group's Website, servetheneedinjc.com, contains a listing of a variety of services available to the needy.
H1N1 flu update
County Health Director Marilyn Pearson said her department is now getting weekly shipments of the H1N1 flu vaccine.
High-risk groups are getting the vaccine first, but all residents will have access to it soon, she said.
"Eventually, I expect to have enough vaccines for everybody," Pearson said.
She said absenteeism has increased at schools throughout the county, but H1N1 flu is not concentrated in any particular
school. A spike in the number of cases occurred in the Benson area after Mule Days, she said.
Several cases of pneumonia have been reported as a result of the flu, but the virus has not caused any deaths in the
county.
Food programs
One woman asked about the status of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food program, which serves low-income
women who are pregnant or have young children. She was concerned that the program does not provide a full month of
food.
Pearson said WIC is a supplemental food program and is not intended to be a family's only source of food. She noted that
the number of people on the program in Johnston County has increased from 3,000 to 3,700 in the past year.
That means the department gets more funding for the program, but it's having a hard time processing all of the requests,
Pearson said.
"Without more staffing, that's an issue," she said. "We're doing the best we can."
Mental health
Another question involved the state's plan to close certain types of group homes.
"We're looking very hard right now to look for alternatives," said Janice Nutt, director of the Johnston County Mental Health
Center. "It's being monitored very closely."
| THE SMITHFIELD HERALD Wednesday March 10, 2010 "Organization helps food closets serve more" and the THE SMITHFIELD HERALD Wednesday, February 24, 2010 "Organization helps food closets fill days in week" BY COLIN CAMPBELL, STAFF WRITER |
| THE CLAYTON NEWS STAR Wednesday March 10, 2010 "Local Organization, food pantries publicize efforts" |
The Organization has launched a "Need to Feed" Project, working in conjunction with the Clayton faith-based
community. As a first step in its efforts, the STNinJC has helped coordinate and publicize a schedule of when
Clayton-area faith-based agencies are distributing food. The Distribution Schedule follows:
community. As a first step in its efforts, the STNinJC has helped coordinate and publicize a schedule of when
Clayton-area faith-based agencies are distributing food. The Distribution Schedule follows:
| THE SMITHFIELD HERALD October 21, 2009 The Serve the Need" Organization tackles recession, H1N1 flu vaccine" "Community meetings under way" |
|
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| SERVE THE NEED IN JOHNSTON COUNTY, INC. What we do by ourselves matters; What we do together really makes the difference. When We Give; We Get Back. |
| SERVE THE NEED IN JOHNSTON COUNTY Inc. Post Office Box 1016 Clayton, North Carolina 27528-1016 919-550-0614 Email: info@servethe needinjc.com |
