Thursday, May 27, 2010

Meeting with Nancy Haynie—Giles Christian Mission
May 25, 2010
(540) 921-3006(o) (540)599-8292 ©
mhaynie@wvva.net


About
The Giles Christian Mission was started in 1964 and has four different programs that fall under their umbrella. They are a clothing bank, a kid’s summer food program, a Lions Club Shopping Tour, and an emergency food assistance program.
Clothing Bank
They are one of the only clothing banks in the NRV. The bank allows clients the opportunity to “shop” for free clothing. Clients receive free clothing, but also have a choice at the same time.
Summer Program
During the summer many children who receive free or reduced lunch have a hard time getting enough food to eat. The Mission works with the school system to choose 60 elementary school students to receive a box of food each month of the summer. Food items are easy to prepare so if the lack of adult supervision is an issue the students can still eat what has been provided.
Shopping Tour
The Lions Club Shopping Tour is a unique opportunity for 60 or more elementary students to buy Christmas gifts for their family. Working with the school system the Lions Club chooses children to give $50 for Christmas spending. That money is then able to be spent at the Giles Christian Mission to buy gifts, no items is more than $5. The Mission works all year to collect donations of toys, new coats, make-up, and other gift items for this event. The money from the Tour is put into the Mission and ultimately back into the community.
Emergency Food
The Missions emergency food assistance program gives clients who meet federal regulations a box of food, based on household size, once every three months. This program is not meant to act as a supplement for food needs, but instead to assist a family or individual in an emergency situation.

Clients
The clientele are from Giles County and must meet the normal federal guidelines to receive assistance. If a client is eligible for SNAP Benefits or other federal assistance then the Mission is more than happy to assist. Clients may also be referred from the Department of Social Services and others may be accepted under special circumstances.
They serve over 100 families a month in food and clothing.

Food Resources
Most of the food that comes through the Mission is donated by individuals, churches, and Smith Valley Meat. During the holidays they are able to purchase reduced priced hams and turkeys from Food Lion. The only food that is purchased on regular bases, at full price, is hamburger. They are not a Second Harvest Agency so the amount of salvaged food they receive is small. They would consider becoming an agency if there was something in place that did not force them to drive to Salem to pick up food.
Clients are allowed to receive food once every 3 months. The boxes prepared by the Mission usually contain items to make several complete meals.

Volunteers
They have a strong volunteer base. There is one paid staff, Nancy Haynie Giles Christian Mission Director, and the rest of the program is volunteer run. Their operating hours are Monday-Friday 10:00am-2:00pm and on average there are about 15 volunteers every day. Most of the volunteers are pulled from local churches, others hear about the opportunity by word of mouth. In order to be a volunteer one must be over 16, and call Nancy Haynie to schedule an appointment. There is a short orientation the first time a volunteer comes.

Funding
The Christmas Tour brings in money for the mission.
The Lions Club gives in other capacities.
Local churches and individuals donate.
They receive a grant from the United Fund of Giles County.

Existing Partnerships
Lions Club
Virginia Tech
Giles New River Community Action
Giles Department of Social Services

Needs
Fresh Produce—In small quantities
More Volunteers
Baby Clothes
Money
Would like to see
Classes for Clients: money management, food management, food preparation. Like to see clients become more self sufficient.
Want to see a database to help cut down on abuse and double dipping.

Resources
They were able to use a surplus from the budget last year to assist their clients with some electrical bills.

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