On Wednesday, March 19, the Lions Club Foundation presented Share & Care Executive Director Holly Carson with a $25,000 check.
The Share & Care Board of Directors is raising $300,000 to remodel and build a new kitchen area where hot meals can be served.
The current kitchen location has been sold so all services can be done under one roof. “But the sale proceeds will not cover all the kitchen building expenses.”
Carson shared with the club that Arkansas has the highest food insecurity rate in the United States. “The national average is 12.8 %. Arkansas is at 19% and Boone County is at 15.3%. We are now in our fourth generation of poverty. Kids don’t know anything different. We encourage education and coaching but still help many homes a month. We used to pass out 40-45 pounds of food each week. With the cost of food, now we are down to 22-25 pounds a week. That’s half what it used to be, and we can’t pass out eggs anymore. We’ve had to cut back.”
The kitchen serves 1,600 hot meals a month, four days a week. “We want to do more and increase it to seven days weekly. We helped 806 homes just last week with the kitchen hot meals, groceries, rent, gas, prescription costs, and many other things they needed. We average 25 new households a month. The problem is not going away. Generational poverty is the biggest problem in this county.”
Sales from the thrift store are up 23%, while cash donations are down about $95,000. “The thrift store doesn’t pay for all the food we purchase. We spend about $7,000 on the groceries we distribute and $15,000 on the prepared meals.”
Five house fires have recently occurred in the area, and we also give out items from the thrift store as people need them.
Carson thanked the Lions Club for their generous donation. “We feel honored to be able to help the people in this community. Our motto is ‘Sharing kindness and changing lives,’ you help us achieve that.”
Lions Club President Judy McCutcheon signs the big check while Lion Carrie Richter looks on.
