Second Harvest is working hard to feed the less fortunate in Coffee County and beyond. They are a non-profit organization serving South Georgia since 1982. That was the year they began operations in Valdosta. They have grown steadily since and they are always looking for new volunteers and partners to help them distribute food.
Second Harvest has been operating locally for six years. Chip Strom is the Douglas branch manager and his office serves Coffee, Ben Hill, Atkinson, Ware, and Irwin counties. In Coffee County in 2016, Second Harvest distributed 907,916 pounds of bread, dairy, produce, canned goods, and frozen meat. Their warehouse and distribution site is at 534 Thompson Drive.
They are organized as a 501(c)(3), therefore donations are tax deductible. They receive donated goods from Wal-Mart, Harvey’s Supermarkets, Kroger, Dollar Store, Dollar Tree, and Big Lots. They also accept the donations of private individuals.
They partner with nonprofit organizations and churches to deliver the food to people in need. Their partners include places like New Hope Recovery Center; Bridges of Hope of Argyle, Chauncey, and Homerville; Stillwaters Women’s Center; and several area churches.
GracePointe Church is one of Second Harvest’s most active partners. Together they participate in the USDA Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). This program works to improve the health of low-income elderly persons by providing them with nutritious USDA-approved packages of food. The packages are prepared in Thomasville and distributed here by GracePointe. The packages aren’t meant to provide a complete diet, but are designed to supplement the diets of the beneficiaries with the nutrients they typically lack.
Covenant Church of Douglas also has a monthly food program. Volunteers from Covenant get food from Second Harvest and prepare their own care packages. First Baptist Church continues to operate a program to feed the elderly that was up until recently overseen by the late Joe Day. First Baptist’s program feeds around 25-30 families per month. First United Methodist operates their own food bank with foodstuffs supplied by Second Harvest.
Second Harvest also partners with the Mary Hayes Center for Social Change and the Boys and Girls Club of Coffee County. Those facilities provide meals for the young people that they serve.
If you want to help Second Harvest as a partner or as a volunteer you can reach their website by clicking on the link below: http://feedingsga.org/