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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
20 years later, giving goes on
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It started as a call to action from two churches: Norcross First United Methodist and Christ Church Episcopal.
Families were knocking on the church doors looking for help with this, that and the other. The churches were ill-equipped to deal with such matters, so they pulled together a committee made up of several churches to see what could be done.
The answer: the Norcross Cooperative Ministry, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in May.
Shirley Cabe was involved with the nonprofit when it was little more than an idea. She served on the committee that put the wheels in motion. Now she’s the agency’s executive director and probably one of most knowledgeable Gwinnettians when it comes to the poor, working poor and suddenly poor.
When she tells you the needs of people turning to the nonprofit have grown from short-term issues (food) to long-term (medical care), believe it.
When she says the county has a growing homeless community, treat it as gospel. And when she speculates that the ongoing spike in gas and grocery prices will lead to a boom in clients at her nonprofit, bank on it.
“Of course we see hundreds and hundreds of people needing food,” Cabe told me Monday. “But it’s not just the quick fix anymore. Overall, it seems like the needs are more long-term, more critical, than they were in the 1980s.
“We always have a food shortage. We’ve already had some people needing help with gas, but we don’t give out gas vouchers. At one time we did have that program. Of course the other side of all of this is how will it affect our donations.”
As the needs changed, so did the ministry, though it still doles out food and clothes. It also offers language classes and helps unemployed clients find jobs. Classes vary, from résumé writing to interview skills. Only U.S. citizens or immigrants with a legal right to work in the country can take part in the job-services program.
John Byerley, the current president, said people’s mouths drop when they walk in the facility and see the activity.
“We are an active part of the community, just trying to make Norcross a little better,” said Byerley, a business manager for a voice and data applications firm in Norcross.
“Because we are a ministry, we’d like to see people transition from being in a situation where they need a hand-up to making the next step, to becoming self-sufficient. We’re trying to concentrate on that area.”
To commemorate its anniversary, the nonprofit is hosting an open house from 3 to 5 p.m. this Sunday. You’re invited. If you attend, though, please donate something that reflects the agency’s 20-year history - 20 cans of food, 20 clothing items or cash in $20 increments.
“We want to talk about where we’ve been the last 20 years,” Cabe told me, “and where we hope to go the next 20.”
The Norcross Cooperative Ministry is at 2275 Mitchell Road. Contact info: 770-263-8268 (client services) or 770-263-0013 (donations); www.norcrossco-op.org.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
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