Georgia Family Connection Collaboratives Help Communities in Wake of Hurricane Helene

Print This Post


Updated Nov. 8, 2024

Hurricane Helene left behind 66 of Georgia’s counties in a state of emergency. As communities attempt to recover in the aftermath of this catastrophic hurricane, Georgia Family Connection Collaboratives have been supporting families in essential ways, like distributing food, water, and supplies, visiting homes to contact their most vulnerable neighbors, and helping with clean-up efforts. Here are just some of the ways Family Connection is supporting children, families, and communities across Georgia.

Augusta Partnership for Children distributed diapers, formula, baby food, and wipes to 200 families.

CareSource provided cleaning supplies that were distributed to the public during an event attended by 150 community members on Oct. 5 hosted by Bulloch County Commission on Human Services.  “The public was grateful for the supplies, and partners also provided resources and referral information,” said Catherine Hendrix, executive director of Bulloch County Commission on Human Services. “We’re so thankful for our partnership with CareSource, a great supporter of Family Connection and always ready to step up to the plate when needed.” Remaining supplies will be distributed during future outreach efforts.

Communities In Schools of Burke County-Family Connection delivered 62 food boxes to families and seniors and provided 200 hot dogs and buns to feed families in two local communities in partnership with the Burke County Sheriff’s Office. The Collaborative also referred a local church to six communities in Burke County to distribute 100 “Adventure Bags” for displaced children containing hygiene products and helpful items.

Candler County Family Connection Director Lisa Brown Rigdon met up with Heather Thigpen, coordinator for The Bridge outreach center, to check out the freezers and assess which resources could be handed out to residents without power, food, water, or transportation. “We noticed the food in our freezers was beginning to thaw out, so we decided we would take the food and grill in one of the areas hit the hardest in our community,” said Rigdon. “Many in this community don’t have transportation on a good day, much less after a hurricane.” Volunteers prepared 300 plates and went door to door handing them out. “It was such a blessing to serve our families and neighbors,” said Rigdon.

Columbia County Community Connections handed out diapers, wipes, and other supplies to 120 families, delivered basic home supplies to 15 families, donated diapers to churches, and provided “Saturday Sacks” for students.

Cook County Family Connection closed its office the week following the hurricane, because the town where key partners lived was severely damaged. But that didn’t deter the Collaborative from coming out to check on the neighbors they serve, stock a small food pantry at Cook Senior Center, deliver water and food to the men at the House of Grace, and help community members with emergency needs.

Dublin/Laurens Commission on Children, Youth and Families and their partners worked with a local church to serve 400 hot meals to the community. The Collaborative also helped Second Harvest arrange the delivery of food items to community members.

Echols County Family Connection assisted in staffing and promoting the Points of Distribution center in Statenville, providing water, food, tarps, and other essential items to community members.

Evans County Family Connection partners helped distribute nonperishable food to more than 500 cars who visited the Mobile Food Pantry through Second Harvest.

Family Connection and Communities In Schools of Glascock County distributed 4,000 meals and 2,000 cases of water between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6, and partnered with Glascock transit to deliver 200 meals. The Collaborative also donated paper products to county workers and provided them with meals. Local families were provided families with diapers and baby items, and residents received essentials from the Collaborative’s supply pantry. Family Connection also sent a large clothing donation to our neighbors recovering from the hurricane in North Carolina.

Family Connection-Communities In Schools of Hancock County assisted in feeding 75 people in the community and delivered bottled water and snacks to homebound residents and 35 residents at the Senior Center. The Collaborative also helped residents complete forms for FEMA and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Jenkins County Family Enrichment Center provided food to 60 families and distributed personal hygiene products to disaster relief workers.

Johnson County Family Connection Collaborative partnered with Red Cross Disaster Relief to serve hot meals in downtown Wrightsville, helping to recruit high school Beta Club members to serve community members. “The southern part of our county in the town of Adrian was hit very hard, and most of that area was still without power,” said Johnson County Family Connection Collaborative Coordinator Kristie Brantley. “We worked with the Red Cross and the Mayor to send the mobile food truck to that area of the county.” Family Connection utilized social media to raise $400 to purchase detergent and other laundry essentials for the city of Kite, which received a mobile laundry tractor trailer from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. The Collaborative has also received nonperishable items from Wrightsville Mayor Janibeth Outlaw to distribute to families in need from the Family Connection office or share at other community outreach areas.

Lanier County Family Connection transformed the Little Lending Libraries located at Lanier County Elementary and Lanier County High School into food and hygiene pantries. The Collaborative invited residents to take what they need and add to it if possible. “When I received a call from a mom who said her autistic son lost all of his Baby Bulldogs books in a house fire after the hurricane and cried for his books every day, the Collaborative loaded him up with more books,” said Amy Griffin, Lanier County Family Connection executive director.

Lincoln County Community Partnership partnered with the local recreation department to distribute more than 20 pallets of water throughout the county. The recreation department, where the Collaborative’s office is located, served as a food site for the community, and the Collaborative assisted with serving meals to 100 community members.

Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth provided staff and volunteer support for community-based efforts to assist people with everything from basic needs like acquiring food and shelter to directing people to FEMA—and helping them navigate that process.

McDuffie County Partners for Success partnered with local businesses to distribute emergency supplies to the community.Pierce County Family Connection teamed up with local organizations across the county to bring relief to families struggling to recover after the hurricane. The Collaborative helped the Salvation Army hand out cleaning buckets and to-go lunches and worked with kids from the community to bring food to the kids who needed meals.

Pierce County Family Connection teamed up with local organizations across the county to bring relief to families struggling to recover after the hurricane. The Collaborative helped the Salvation Army hand out cleaning buckets and to-go lunches and worked with kids from the community to bring food to the kids who needed meals.

Taliaferro County Family Connection helped distribute hot food and supplies each day between Oct. 4 and Oct. 7, sent 30 bags of supplies and cases of water to homebound residents, and distributed diapers and wipes to 30 families. The Collaborative also assisted people with food replacement forms from the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS)—and delivered those forms directly to DFCS. “We also received donations of supplies of food, water, clothing, and cleaning supplies from 10 organizations and individuals—and we’re set to receive more,” said Mary Eubanks, executive director of Taliaferro County Family Connection.

Tattnall County Family Connection partnered with Action Pact and the UGA Extension Office to provide essential items to 250 families, including diapers, wipes, cleaning supplies, and hygiene items. Family Connection partners also worked to set up a distribution site for water and ready-to-eat meals.

Screven County Community Collaborative distributed 55 boxes of food to seniors living at Westview Apartments, helped distribute water and canned goods at the Screven County Elementary School to over 400 families, helped prepare and serve dinner at First Baptist Church Screven to 300 families, and took meal boxes and water to 45 elderly and homebound residents.

Ware Children’s Initiative worked with local food program Feed the Gap to pack 2,000 bags of nonperishable foods while students were out of school, which were distributed at five local schools and several neighborhoods. “Many local teachers helped pack and distribute bags because they were so concerned about their students,” said Ware Children’s Initiative Executive Director Susan Haddock. The Collaborative is also working with community partners, county government, and local Emergency Management Agency to start a Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) team to better coordinate resources during future emergencies. “I’m very concerned about the financial impact this will have on families in our community, especially with Christmas approaching,” said Haddock. “I anticipate families having to choose between food and utilities or Christmas gifts for their children. To help with this, I’m in the early stages of coordinating with local resources—financial planners, chefs, and others—to create a video series on helpful tips for making it through tough financial times.” The Collaborative is also coordinating with local Christmas gift programs to determine how they can help increase community support this Christmas.

Family Connection of Warren County visited 25 homes in the community to assess living conditions and helped volunteers set up stations to feed hot meals to seniors and the Georgia Power team. The Collaborative also assisted local government in giving out food boxes, tarps, water, paper towels, toiletries, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other essential items to 531 residents, and, in partnership with Golden Harvest restaurant and the YMCA, distributed water, food boxes, paper towel, tissues, toilet paper, baby food, adult diapers, feminine hygiene products, pet food, and other supplies to 217 families.

Contact:
Krystin Dean
GaFCP Communications Specialist
706-897-4711
krystin@gafcp.org

Follow us on Twitter: @gafcpnews

Connect with us on Facebook.