Rome, Georgia, is home to some wonderful non-profit ministries and organizations that serve our community. One of those ministries is Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries. You may have heard of or known this organization by its former name, Action Ministries or Hope Atlanta.
I met with the Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries, and I want to share what this ministry is doing for our local community and how people can get involved.
History Of Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries
The Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries was formerly known as Action Ministries or the Bagwell Pantry, located on 19th Street in East Rome. They started in the early 2000s as the local food bank here in Rome, Georgia, as a subsidiary of the United Methodist Church. Due to COVID-related financial challenges, it was acquired by Hope Atlanta in the early part of 2020.
Hope Atlanta had a difficult time serving these periphery markets. They operated the Gainesville, Rome, and Athens pantries outside the metro Atlanta area. They had a hard time during COVID, keeping those doors open, especially the pantries outside of Atlanta.
A group of Rome citizens that love the pantry and the ministry got together and wanted to be able to offer their services to the people in need here locally. They acquired the assets of the food pantry from Hope Atlanta. They created Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries, a locally led, locally funded, and locally governed organization with a new location on Callahan Street in North Rome. For the first time, they are not operating out of an office in Atlanta; they are being run locally, right here in Rome, Georgia.
It is the same organization doing the same work under a new name. The same people are involved, serving the same clientele and doing the same programs.
How Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries Serves The Community
Backpack Buddies
Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries serves the community in several ways. One way is with Backpack Buddies. This program is a supplemental nutrition program that has a partnership with the school system. Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries works with school councilors to provide Backpack Buddies or food subsidies to kids over the weekends. This is for kids who might be experiencing food insecurities. Allowing them to have food over the weekends that they can prepare themselves or ready-to-eat foods like pop-tarts and snacks.
The idea is to have food in their backpack that they can open and eat immediately. So these are more directly for the kids and not the family but understand that some families may share some snacks. Suppose somebody in the child’s family is in need. In that case, their family might also be coming to the pantry to get perishable food items, like fruits and veggies.
Packaging and distributing the Backpack Buddies takes an enormous amount of volunteer hours. They serve almost all of Rome City Schools and Floyd County Schools, and outside of Rome, they serve Chattooga County and Polk County schools with the Backpack Buddies program. There are over 1600 backpacks packed and delivered a week, and it’s all done by volunteers. Volunteers pack the backpack buddies, load them up in their vehicles and take them to the school campuses every Thursday.
Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries does not provide enough food to feed a family for an entire month either. They are a supplemental program to help families make ends meet. Their primary goal is to supply enough food for everyone and help end the cycle of poverty for children. By supplying proper nutrition to kids it allows them to go to school and focus on learning. Kids can’t learn if they are hungry, so having adequate nutrition for kids and emphasizing education is vital for breaking the poverty cycle. The backpack buddies are one way of helping kids.
It’s amazing that people come together and work like ants to get it done. Our community’s love and support for those in need is overwhelming.
Community Outreach
They partner with the YMCA, doing senior home food deliveries of food boxes, and also have the choice pantry. They also partner with the YMCA on a mobile pantry that goes around to different locations, such as the senior centers and Restoration Rome. They can set up a mobile market in the parking lot for people to enter the shop, like the bookmobile used to be.
Bagwell Choice Model
Before, whenever they were on 19th Street, it was the traditional food pantry model, where the recipient would pull up in their car, pop the trunk, and a volunteer would put a box of food in the trunk of their car. Well, many people involved said, you know, this doesn’t feel right. Handing people food like that is the definition of a handout.
They began allowing the recipients to come in and make their selections. By doing this, they give people dignity and eliminate waste by not giving people items they will not use. For example, if someone doesn’t like dried beans, they don’t need to put them in a box so that they can be thrown away. They want to save those back for people who do like dried beans.
That’s the Bagwell Choice Model. It is set up like a small grocery store about the size of a coffee shop where people come in and shop for perishable produce and non-food items, such as vitamins, toilet paper, and diapers.
This new model is popular with clients, and donors have also seen the value it has brought to the community.
Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries serves around 65 to 70 families daily, four days a week.
Cancer Navigators of Rome
Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries also partners with Cancer Navigators of Rome. Cancer Navigators patients can come and shop at NWGHM’s location with a referral. They also receive a separate nutrition bag with each visit. This bag contains foods that are easy on the stomach, such as broth, crackers, electrolyte and protein drinks.
The nutrition bags are a valuable resource for cancer patients. They can help to ensure that patients have access to healthy and nutritious food, even when they are feeling sick or nauseous. The bags also provide a sense of comfort and support, which can be important for cancer patients during treatment.
NWGHM is grateful to be able to partner with Cancer Navigators and provide this important service to cancer patients in our community. They know that food is essential for healing, and are committed to helping cancer patients get the food they need to stay healthy and strong during treatment.
Where The Food Comes From
Because Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries serves as a food pantry and as a food bank, they source food from national food banks, like the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Midwest Food Bank, a national food bank out of Illinois with a local chapter in Peachtree City.
They also work with local grocery stores. For example, Sam’s and Walmart donate a lot of produce nearing the best-used-by date, or they get a whole lot of oranges, lemons, or salad mixes. It sits on the shelf for several days. They have to get that inventory off the shelf. The produce is not imperfect; it’s just nearing its best-used-by date. Now it can go to people in need, eliminating waste.
They’re sourcing, assembling, and distributing it directly to Backpack Buddies and the Choice Pantry program. At the same time, they are also strategically saving back food in a warehouse in case of supply chain issues and for other smaller pantries to use.
This is a flowchart to show how the food is distributed.
What You May Not Know About the NW Ga Hunger Ministry
When most people think of food banks, they think of homeless people. However, the NW Ga Hunger Ministry serves a much wider range of people, including those who have homes but are struggling to make ends meet.
A lot of times people in our community think that it is only the homeless people that are served at food banks, but it is actually people that have homes where they have kitchens to prepare the meals. It is people that are struggling to make ends meet and are barely living paycheck to paycheck.
The ministry does not require proof of income to participate. Instead, people who come to the Bagwell Choice Pantry sign a waiver stating that they are not making lots of money and that they legitimately need the food. If you have kids, you need to bring in proof of that as well.
Because it’s a choice pantry, people can come in and make their own selections. However, there are certain limits on things like meats and cheeses, and those proteins in limited supplies. The amount you can receive is based on how many people are in your home.
One of the biggest challenges facing NWGHM is getting people to understand the need for its services.
One of the biggest challenges that NWGHM faces is getting people to understand the need for the ministry. Many people don’t realize that there are so many families in our community who are struggling to put food on the table. NWGHM wants to let people know that they are here to help, and they want to make it as easy as possible for people to get involved.
If you are interested in volunteering at NWGHM, there are a variety of ways that you can help. You can pack Backpack Buddies, work in the Choice Pantry, or donate food or money. You can also volunteer your time to help with one of the ministry’s other programs or services.
A Community Effort
Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries (NWGHM) is a non-profit organization that works to provide food to families in need in Floyd, Chattooga, and Polk counties. The organization distributes food through a network of 26 food pantries, as well as through its own Bagwell Choice Pantry.
NWGHM is able to provide food to so many families thanks to the support of its community partners. ACFB (Atlanta Community Food Bank) is one of NWGHM’s largest partners. ACFB delivers food to NWGHM’s loading dock on a regular basis.
In addition to ACFB, NWGHM partners with many other smaller organizations. These organizations may have needs for food, such as a bible study for low-income kids from a church. NWGHM is able to supply these organizations with snacks and other food items.
NWGHM does so much behind the scenes to distribute food to families in need. Many people are not aware of all the work that NWGHM does. However, the organization does not care who gets the credit. As long as people are getting the food they need, NWGHM is happy.
Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries relies on a team of staff and volunteers to feed the hungry
Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries is a regional food bank and distribution center that serves Floyd County and the surrounding area. The organization has a small team of two full-time and three part-time staff members, but they are heavily dependent on volunteers. Volunteers come in every day to help with a variety of tasks, including stocking shelves, serving clients, checking people in and out of the system, and helping to weigh items. They even help people load their cars.
The organization is committed to providing a good shopping experience for its clients and treating everyone with dignity and respect. Clients are not treated as a handout, but as a person. They go in and are treated with respect and a smile.
How to Volunteer at Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries
NWGHM is always looking for volunteers to help with a variety of tasks. If you are interested in volunteering at NWGHM, there are a few things you can do:
- Visit the NWGHM website at hungerministries.org.
- Click on the “Donate/Volunteer” button in the top corner of the page.
- Fill out the online volunteer form.
- Submit the form and wait to hear from a NWGHM volunteer coordinator.
The volunteer coordinator will contact you to schedule a time to meet and discuss your interests and availability. Once you have been matched with a volunteer opportunity, you will be able to start making a difference in the lives of those in need in our community.
NWGHM is a great way to give back to the community and make a difference in the lives of others. If you are looking for a way to volunteer, please consider NWGHM. They would be happy to have you on their team!
What is the one thing that keeps NWGHM and its team going and encouraged in this ministry?
The answer is simple: service. NWGHM is a ministry, and its staff members are passionate about serving others. They want to help families and those less fortunate. They see the need in the community, and they are committed to making a difference.
The Importance of Financial Donations
One of the most important ways that Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries raises funds is through financial donations. When you donate money to the organization, it is used to purchase food from national food banks. This allows the organization to buy food in bulk, which saves money.
For example, a jar of peanut butter costs about $2.99 at Kroger. However, Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries can purchase a flat of peanut butter for about $20 from a national food bank. This means that your donation of $2.99 can help feed many more people.
Hunger in Rome, Georgia
Hunger is a problem that affects people of all ages, ethnicities, and walks of life. It is easy to have a preconceived notion of what a “hungry person” looks like, but the reality is that hunger can happen to anyone.
I recently spoke with a volunteer at NW Ga Hunger Ministries, who shared some insights into the reality of hunger in our community. He told me that many people who come to the pantry have “good jobs,” but are struggling to make ends meet due to inflation and other financial hardships. He also said that it is important to remember that hunger is not always visible. Just because you don’t see someone struggling with hunger, doesn’t mean they aren’t.
How Inflation is Affecting Our Local Food Bank
The rising cost of food is having a significant impact on our local food bank. Since opening its choice pantry in April 2022, the food bank has seen a 25% increase in the number of families served. In September, the food bank was serving around 55 families a day. By December, that number had increased to approximately 70 families. These are new families that are coming in, as people can only come and receive services once a month.
The food bank is doing everything it can to meet the growing demand. It has been blessed with generous donations, and it has been able to keep track of the need so far. However, the food bank anticipates some shortages of particular items in the coming months.
The food bank has a large warehouse, which allows it to stockpile certain items when they are less popular. For example, canned soup is hard to get in December and January, but it is less popular in June and July. The food bank is strategic about sourcing its food from its suppliers, particularly for its Backpack Buddies kids’ nutritional programs. The food bank wants to make sure that it has plenty of supplies on hand to ensure that our schools and kids have what they need.
Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries: A Place to Give and Receive
NWGHM is a vital resource for people in need in northwest Georgia. The organization’s staff and volunteers are dedicated to providing food and other assistance to those who are struggling to make ends meet. They are also committed to educating the community about hunger and the importance of food security.
One of the things that makes NWGHM so special is the sense of community that it fosters. The people who work and volunteer at the organization are passionate about helping others, and they create a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone who comes through the doors.
If you are looking for a way to give back to your community, I encourage you to consider volunteering at NWGHM. It is a rewarding experience that will make a real difference in the lives of others.
Here are some of the things that you can do to help:
- Donate.
- Volunteer your time.
- Spread the word about NWGHM.
- Advocate for policies that support food security.
Together, we can make a difference in the fight against hunger.
To discover more about Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries or volunteer, visit https://www.hungerministries.org/ or visit them at 90 E Callahan Street.
Rome, GA 30165.
Be sure to follow them on Facebook @NWGAHungerMinistries
For other Non-Profit organizations in Rome, Georgia check out Hope 4 Hearts and Giving Back: Why Supporting Local Charities Benefits Both You and Your Community
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