Feed Fannin Holds January Meeting

Their goal is to help feed families in Fannin

Local food charity Feed Fannin had a big outpouring of volunteers for its first regular meeting of the New Year, Tuesday January 10th. A total of 38 volunteers were present at the meeting for the Family Connection organization that helps raise food and money for local residents.

With their motto being “one community, one spirit” Feed Fannin works together with other organizations such as Family Connection and Americorps and local businesses, churches, elected officials, medical facilities, the Farmer’s Market and many individual donors to help make sure that each family in Fannin is provided for. In doing so, Feed Fannin successfully completes the goal of their mission statement which is

“working together to educate and encourage our community towards self sufficiency while providing food for those in need.”

One of the main reasons that Feed Fannin is different than other charities is that their goal is to help feed families in Fannin, but to also help them become self sufficient. This means that they not only want the families to be helped, but they want the families to be able to “pass it on”. People who donate to Feed Fannin can provide a gift of food to hungry families in the form of a tax-deductible donation. Since Feed Fannin is a 100 percent volunteer organization, there are no administrative costs. This means that your entire donation to Feed Fannin would be used to provide food boxes for families, to buy seeds, plants and tools for Feed Fannin’s community gardens, and to provide educational resources to help further promote the idea of self-sufficiency.

Seemingly, the toughest time of the year for families in need is the holiday season. This Thanksgiving, Feed Fannin project coordinators Maggie Curbow and Kim King along with Family Connection Director Linda Mahan gave families who needed the most assistance each a Thanksgiving dinner that included a Thanksgiving day turkey centerpiece, stuffing, green beans, yams, cranberry sauce, chicken broth and dessert. Feed Fannin donated $500 for the baskets which included a total of 48 turkeys!

This December Feed Fannin also held a silent auction during Light Up Blue Ridge’s Festival of Trees. At the silent auction trees and wreaths decorated with different themes by local businesses and community groups were sold and all proceeds benefited the Food Pantry. Feed Fannin raised a total of $8025 for the month of December.

Last year, Feed Fannin volunteers worked in six community gardens and produced over 10,200 pounds of produce! Feed Fannin Green Boxes placed in local grocery stores brought in $20,000 worth of food for the Food Pantry, and a Garden Club was even formed at the Blue Ridge Elementary School by Feed Fannin volunteers. Feed Fannin volunteers are the kind of people that want to see people getting helped, but as part of their mission they want to make sure that the people they help are also able to help others.