Your monthly newsletter about The Place and how serving with purpose helps change lives. | |
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July 2022
Dear Cristy,
Did you know there are two birthday celebrations in July? Not only is July the month we celebrate our nation’s birth, but The Place is celebrating 47 years of serving our community's residents!
In 1975, four Dominican nuns opened their doors to provide food, clothing, financial assistance, and tutoring. Today The Place is still serving to meet our community’s basic needs, but now our programs extend much further. For example, our comprehensive youth programs include on-site high school mentoring, back to school supply assistance, holiday gifts for over 2,000 kids, and summer internships. This year, we have six high school student interns, one college intern, and numerous summertime job employees.
Our six-week high school internship program teaches students not only work skills, but life skills. They are learning about teamwork, problem-solving, and the importance of clear communication. We are bringing in guest speakers for “lunch and learn” sessions to cover such topics as budgeting, time management, mindset and positive thinking, and more. The interns are working in the thrift store, warehouse, occasionally in the garden, and elsewhere as needed. With just a few weeks into the program, the interns have shared how they have felt a sense of accomplishment and new perspectives on working as a team. As we have seen in previous years, our hope is that they will broaden their outlook, strengthen their potential, and be more prepared for the future.
Our back-to-school program, Backpacks Full of Heart, works with local schools to find students in need of extra assistance. Our team is moving closer but still shy of reaching our goal of filling 550 backpacks full of school supplies. It’s hard to believe this program touches kids in 90 percent of Forsyth County’s public schools and all of Dawson County’s public schools.
We are thankful for your ongoing support of our mission.
Serving with Purpose,
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President & CEO
The Place of Forsyth County
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Vietnam Vets Help Clients Celebrate July 4!
Partnering with Vietnam Vets of America - Cumming Chapter 1030, The Place helped our food pantry clients celebrate July 4th by creating and distributing special boxes of holiday food.
The Veterans generously donated all the hot dogs, buns, and additional food items to complete our 4th of July meal boxes. Plus, they joined alongside our volunteer team to distribute the boxes to our clients at their weekly grocery pick-up.
Thank you!
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The Place Cottage Gets a New Driveway
If you’ve ever had to replace a driveway or even replace a portion of one, you know the “sticker shock” of the project. So, when Precision Concrete reached out to The Place and asked how they could help with one of our programs, we knew of the perfect donation: replace The Cottage’s long-in-need-of-repair driveway!
Precision Concrete donated the labor, supervision, and led the driveway replacement project. Argos Concrete donated the concrete, Contractor Sales International (CSI) donated the equipment and miscellaneous supplies, and Grogan Waste donated dumpsters.
We are so grateful that these companies worked together to build a new driveway for The Cottage!
The Place’s Cottage exists to empower and develop young women to be confident, independent, and self-sufficient. The program serves goal-oriented young women between the ages of 18 to 24 who are experiencing housing instability. Our inviting residence provides a safe and stable home, providing a collegial and supportive atmosphere conducive to study, building relationships, and productivity.
For more information about the program, contact paige@theplaceofforsyth.org.
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Backpack Deadline Approaching
We realize this school year just ended, but The Place is already preparing for next year’s “Backpacks Full of Heart” school supply drive. We need your help to fill 550 backpacks full of supplies for the 2022-2023 school year. The Place works with local schools to find students in need of extra assistance. We work with 90 percent of Forsyth County’s public schools and all of Dawson County’s public schools.
You can donate in several ways. You can:
The deadline for donations is July 15, 2022. If you would like to participate in this drive, contact Kim at kim@theplaceofforsyth.org.
With the help of local churches and organizations, The Place will distribute a total of 1,500 backpacks at the schools’ Open House.
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Sponsor a Donation Drive!
Thank you for your interest in supporting The Place! We are excited to partner with you and your organization by asking you to sponsor drives for our clients.
Click here to see our current most-needed items and sponsor a donation drive that benefits clients in both Forsyth and Dawson The Place locations.
After clicking the link, you can choose from one or more collection categories, specify dates for your drive, and indicate a drop-off time. All individuals, families, civic organizations, churches and temples, corporate groups, and schools are welcome to sign up!
The collection categories represent needed items for our clients, both food and non-food items. The categories include hygiene, cleaning, baking, baby, senior, ready-to-eat meals, cereal, breakfast items, and condiments. You can sign up for multiple categories each month. We are grateful for every item you collect.
If you have questions, please contact Lisa at lisa@theplaceofforsyth.org, 770-887-1098, ext. 228.
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Food Insecure Clients Need More Than Food
While government programs such as Women, Infant, and Children, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, and Food Stamps allow certain food purchases in grocery stores, many non-food items are not on the approved lists.
Food from The Place is intended to supplement families who are currently food insecure. The Place carries many of the non-food items and distributes them in Forsyth and Dawson counties and mobile pantries in the area.
We greatly appreciate your donations of items that families cannot purchase with government program money, including:
shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, dental floss, razors, body wash, soap, deodorant, feminine pads, tampons, hand soap, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, laundry detergent, bleach, dishwashing liquid, paper towels, diapers, hospital pads, and sanitizer wipes.
Please drop off donated non-food items in the bin at the back of the building at The Place of Forsyth office at 2550 The Place Circle, Cumming, GA 30040. Hours are Mondays through Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
For more information, contact Deb at deborah@theplaceofforsyth.org.
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Tax Happy Way to Make Charitable Donations
If you are over 70 1/2, you’ve learned that you must take a required minimum distribution (RMD) each year from your individual retirement account (IRA)--even if you don’t need the money. You’ve also likely learned the extra funds can affect your taxes by pushing you into a higher tax bracket. A higher tax bracket can affect your Social Security income and Medicare benefits. Even worse, if you don’t take the distribution, you can be subject to a 50 percent penalty on the amount that wasn’t withdrawn from the IRA.
But wait, there is a tax-relief strategy available to charitable-minded individuals!
It’s called the qualified charitable distribution (QCD). It allows you to instruct your IRA administrator to direct IRA distributions to a qualified 501(c)(3) charity, such as The Place. You can donate up to $100,000 a year. The QCD gift option might give you more tax savings than cash donations because it reduces your adjusted gross income.
Please consult with your tax advisor or retirement plan administrator for details. And thank you for considering this tax-happy option to donate to The Place, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 58-2355072!.
To read an article about qualified charitable donations from Fidelity Investments, click here.
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Publix Delivers a Generous Donation
The Place received a very generous donation of non-perishable foods from Publix in June. The items included beef stew, vegetable beef soup, granola bars, and canned vegetables.
Thank you!
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New Partnership Provides Pet Food Assistance
The Place of Forsyth is proud to announce a food partnership with The Humane Society of Forsyth County!
This partnership means our clients at The Place of Forsyth are pre-approved to receive food for their cats and dogs each month at no cost to them. In addition to food, The Humane Society offers spay/neutering to approved unaltered cats and dogs at a cost of $25. The Humane Society can help with that cost if needed.
A big thank you to The Humane Society of Forsyth County for helping our clients provide for their pets!
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Hollis Meyer is Young Adult Coordinator
Hollis Meyer has been promoted to Young Adult and High School Coordinator at The Place. Hollis helps coordinate The Place’s young adult programs, including the summer internship program, which is currently underway with six interns.
Hollis started working with The Place as part of its Adult Training Program in the reception pathway. He says the role gave him the privilege of being a first point of contact for clients and others who come to The Place.
Hollis enjoys spending time with his family, including three dogs. In his spare time, he enjoys reading nonfiction and fiction alike.
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Why I Volunteer
Beth Gallagher has been volunteering at The Place for three years. She works in the food distribution area as a greeter on Tuesdays.
What does volunteering mean to you?
“Our community has so many wonderful people that just need some help to get through these rough years. It is a blessing and honor for me to be able to be a smiling face to them during this time and let them know that we care about them!”
What do you like about volunteering at The Place?
“I enjoy meeting the clients and hopefully answering their questions so that their day goes a little better.”
What would you say to someone who is considering volunteering at The Place?
“Do it! It’s rewarding and is a happy place to give back to your community!”
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Become a Volunteer!
The Place was voted the best place to volunteer in Forsyth County in 2021! If you’d like to join our amazing team, please fill out an application and attend a one-hour orientation session at The Place.
To fill out a volunteer application, please click here. You’ll be able to sign up for an upcoming orientation session during the application process. Thank you!
For more information, contact phillip@theplaceofforsyth.org.
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Your continued support is needed and appreciated so we can continue to help our neighbors in need.
Please consider a gift a today.
Amazon Smile: Make The Place of Forsyth your favorite charity at smile.amazon.com.
Leave a Legacy: Please Include The Place of Forsyth in your Estate Planning.
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