Thanks to local donors, Dawson Community Food Bank can now transport grocery items and other provisions more easily and in larger quantities. 

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The nonprofit was given its very own truck on Monday, food bank director Linda Benson said on Tuesday.

“We’ve been praying for a truck for a long time. We had a trailer and a pickup truck, and that’s what we’ve been using for years,” Benson said. “It’s just amazing how God has blessed us now, and we’re just so thankful.”

The Dawson Community Food Bank and Thrift Store is located at 671 Lumpkin Campground Rd. South Ste. 30. The nonprofit operates its food bank Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 1-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

For questions about the food bank or thrift store, you can call at (706) 265-7990 or visit the nonprofit’s new website is www.dawsoncommunityfoodbank.com.

People can make donations through the nonprofit’s “Donate” page on the website. Funds from online donations and thrift store sales help the nonprofit support its operations and finance food and other items for families in need.

Reach

Benson explained that since the move to the Lumpkin Campground Road South location, they’ve been able to reach so many people. 

In December 2022, the nonprofit served 1,736 families or 5,031 individuals 126,840 lbs. of food. 

Just in the last week, the food bank helped 486 families, and they expect to help even more people by distributing even more food over the next month, Benson added.

The food bank director cited recent demand given peoples’ struggles to afford food staples like eggs and other things like gas. 

“They either eat or buy gas for their car…it’s a terrible position to be in,” Benson said. “I have lots of stories where they (clients) wrote to me that their cabinets were empty until they found the food bank because they couldn't afford to put anything in them.”

She explained that the nonprofit serves 900-plus elderly Dawson-area residents. 

“A lot of seniors, they are just struggling because they have a fixed income… [especially] when the prices go up,” Benson said. 

Local congregations like Bethel United Methodist Church and the Soul Filling Station have contributed to the nonprofit’s efforts, as have management with North Georgia Premium Outlets through time spent volunteering and donations of holiday turkeys.

The food bank’s volunteers usually give clients a pre-arranged dry goods box and let them choose items like fresh fruit, desserts or bottled drinks. 

“Our volunteer base is one of the most important things that we have,” Benson said, noting their key roles sorting and distributing the nonprofit’s many donations. “There’s so much that needs to be done.”