SURROUNDED BY a variety of treasures, old and new, a donated vintage casserole dish finds its place on the shelf at The Attic Outlet (TAO). It’s patiently waiting for its new home. So are lamps, furniture, clothing, toys, books, records, games, puzzles, bridal gowns, formal dresses, shoes, home decor, craft supplies, and appliances. If you want or need it, it’s probably waiting for you at the thrift store that serves as the lifeline for Community Care Ministries outreach programs. One day, when the dish leaves with its new owner, the joy is multiplied as its sale price contributes to Community Care Ministries’ services supporting low-income families.
Community Care Ministries, like a vibrant tapestry, weaves together the threads of donations and community support, making the most of all available resources. From its inception as a modest food pantry and thrift store in 1996 as an outreach of Grace Baptist Church, Tullahoma, the ministry has grown to encompass an impressive variety of support services, emphasizing dignity and compassion for its clients. As the pandemic challenged the community, the ministry’s efforts amplified, providing food, financial aid, and supportive services to those in need.
Lisa Cardwell, president of Community Care Ministries, said, “We are now a USDA food site. Our food pantry has almost tripled from the number of people and households we were seeing a year ago. We are handing out 40,000 pounds of food a month to clients.”
“[The pantry] is probably one of the best-kept secrets in town. I don’t have to watch the news to know how bad the economy is. I’m seeing four and five new clients a day who have never asked for assistance. It’s pushing into the middle class. They don’t have enough finances to make it, and they make too much money to qualify for food stamps. Rent has skyrocketed, and utilities have gone up a bit, so if you have a set income, and you’re not making big raises, you don’t have expendable cash to cover basic needs like food,” said Cardwell.
The thrift store is a conduit for transforming donations into meaningful contributions to various outreach initiatives. These include maintaining a blessing box with non-perishable food and essential toiletries for the homeless, providing free showering services in collaboration with a local facility, and extending support for individuals facing financial hardship. Community Care Ministries offers seasonal clothing options and essential items for those in need, demonstrating its commitment to the community’s well-being.
Community Care Ministries’ firewood ministry is an example of their resourcefulness. When four clients needed wood for winter heat within the same week, Community Care Ministries and the Catholic Church shared the expense of cutting down nuisance trees. Brown’s Tree Service agreed to donate all trees smaller than 18 inches to Community Care Ministries. The late Bill Chapman led a team of volunteers to split, chop, and stack the wood, meeting another immediate need. Chapman’s passing left the program without someone to head it up. Volunteering for an individual, church, business, or organization seeking community service is an excellent opportunity.
Residents of overgrown properties in the city can be fined. Tony Mercado, the property maintenance inspector with the City of Tullahoma Planning and Codes Department, teamed up with Community Care Ministries to assist qualified families who need temporary lawn care. Snapper Tools donated lawnmowers, blowers, and weedeaters to support the program.
Community Care Ministries serves Coffee County, and some of its resources further assist Bedford, Franklin, and Moore Counties residents.
Beyond these programs, the ministries’ outreach extends to collaborative efforts with other nonprofits and organizations, fostering a spirit of unity and compassion. They partner to provide teaching materials and Bibles to churches in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and Haiti, underscoring their commitment to supporting communities beyond geographical boundaries. Their collaboration with Tullahoma Daycare ensures the distribution of donated Dolly Parton Imagination Library books to children, enriching their learning experiences and fostering a love for education.
The 2016 donation of a woman’s entire home furnishings as her last request kickstarted the Fresh Start program, fulfilling its ongoing mission to help prevent/ stop homelessness. Qualified families get their entire home furnished, giving them a fresh start in their new home by assisting with furniture and other household items. As of October 2023, your donations made it possible to fill 76 households with furniture, kitchen items, and linens to start again.
The community’s essential role in sustaining these invaluable programs comes into focus. The public’s continued support through donations, whether in the form of goods or direct contributions via the PayPal system, serves as the lifeblood of Community Care Ministries’ endeavors. Additionally, participation in the Kroger rewards card program provides an effortless yet impactful way to contribute, as each purchase generates vital funding for the ministry’s operations.
In this remarkable cycle of giving and receiving, the casserole dish symbolizes the interconnectedness of community and compassion. As the proceeds from its sale flow back into the ministry’s programs, it and its donor become a part of a larger story, symbolizing the transformative power of the smallest donation in the lives of the community. GN
