Lake Oconee Breeze

The generous Lake Oconee Community and Publix Super Market on Lake Oconee Parkway in Greensboro, have done it again! Last year’s holiday campaign conducted at the store yielded over 13,000 lbs. of food donated to the Greene County Food Pantry. In the weeks leading up to the major holidays, Publix provided donation cards representing three levels of giving to customers at the checkout. The customers simply selected one of the cards and that amount was added to their total sales order. Those donations were then used to purchase food for the Food Pantry.

“We made a party of moving this product from the Publix store to the Greene County Food Pantry,” said Becky Smith, food pantry board member. “There were 15 eager volunteers, including Store Manager Bruce Humphries and Customer Service Manager Kyle Baker, who moved pallets of food products from the Publix loading dock into 12 trucks and two trailers for transport.”

Members of the Greensboro Housing Authority helped unload the products at the Greene County Food Pantry in downtown Greensboro. The logistics of moving so much food was daunting, but Humphries said that thanks to a great team effort, the entire process “couldn’t have gone any smoother.”

The products included much needed proteins such as tuna and canned stew as well as staples that included macaroni and cheese, green beans, breakfast bars and much more.

“This donation is especially meaningful because our Regional Food Bank has had limited selections available for our clients in recent months” said Carla Jackson, the pantry coordinator. “With the generosity of Publix and their customers, we can now provide a healthier selection of food for the people who need it most.”

The Greene County Food Pantry supports a large community of people in need: children, low- income families and senior citizens who are 60 years of age or older. It serves over 950 individuals in 450 families each month. Unfortunately, the number of qualified recipients continues to rise. The number of people needing assistance has increased 31 percent since 2014 and is up 4 percent from last year. Since the Green County Food Pantry was unable to secure meat products from its Regional Food Bank for most of 2015, the board had to dip into its reserve funds to purchase the meat needed. Seniors who receive an average of only $15 monthly in food stamps and families with younger children remain a constant focus for the organization.

The Food Pantry is a 501©3 non-profit organization. Tax-deductible donations are needed and can be mailed to Greene County Food Pantry, PO Box 697, Greensboro, GA 30642. People who would like donate food or volunteer to help in this effort, should call the Food Pantry Staff at 706-453-1380 or e-mail them at gcfoodpantry@yahoo.com.