GVACC donates to local food pantries

BY JOHN BRICE

THE LAFAYETTE SUN

CHAMBERS COUNTY — Directors from two local food pantries were invited to the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce to receive donated funds raised by the Christmas Parade Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 3.  GVACC Executive Director Carrie Wood presented both ceremonial checks as well as actual checks in the amount of $1,500 each to the Interfaith Food Closet and the Christian Service Center.  Due to economic inflation and budgetary issues with the national SNAP food assistance program this past year, these charitable funds were especially needed.

Interfaith Food Closet Director Donnie Erwin-Brown shared the impact if his organization.

“We started in 1984, and we have been in operation in different places, in different configurations, over those years,” he sad. “I have been with [the Interfaith Food Closet] for 11 years. It has always been in Chambers County. We provide food for families who have an emergency. That emergency can be a hospital bill. It can be if the car went out. One of the things that we see a lot of is grandparents taking on grandkids.”

Erwin-Brown said he is hears the impact of the Interfaith Food Closet on the community from those who utalize it.

“The families can come six times a year,” he said. “They can choose how they use that six times. If they are unemployed, once we have them registered in the system they can come six times back to back — if that is how they choose to use their six times. They are very thankful, they are very grateful and they are very appreciative. We are an all-volunteer organization, everything from top to bottom is volunteer.”

Christian Service Center Director Christy Eddy also described the history of her organization.

“Our organization started in 1995,” she said. “My mom was the director for 35 years. I just took over, January 2025 was my first year as director. The way it started was they worked as foster parents and they saw the need for different things in the community, and then from there it just grew into a food bank.  Once we get our clients into our system they can come once a month and then we re-register every year. Proof of residency in Chambers County is all that we require.”

Eddy said the Christian Service Center does not stop at food, it works to fill other needs for locals.

“Beyond food we do clothing,” she said. “We have a Christmas program.  This past Christmas we did Christmas for about 450 children. We do some financial assistance when we have the funds for that.  We don’t get any government funds. If somebody donates for that specific need then we have a little bit of help. The main thing that makes us a little bit different than them is that we partner with different churches, Circle of Care and DHR. So we are actually helping these families  — not to get a hand out but a hand up.”