Statements
Mission
The Dickson County Help Center provides temporary needs-based aid to Dickson County residents through love and dignity
Background
The Dickson County Help Center (Center) was started as a collaborative action step by Dickson County's Department of Human Services, Ministerial Fellowship and individuals in the late 1960's to provide to those in need of food. After some struggles, a group reorganized the Help Center in 1978. Mrs. Helen Rial was voted in as the new director and began operating out of her home. With the new direction of the Center, we began offering clothing and hygiene products along with much needed food boxes. As the Center and the need grew, the Board of Directors saw a need of generating additional revenue to support the growing needs and operation. In 1998 the Board voted to open a Thrift Store. In 1999, because of growth the Center it was relocated to Myatt Street. In the Fall of 2011, the Board of Director's voted once again to relocate the facility to the heart of Downtown Dickson. With this move, our Center is more visible to the community. Along with the visibility, we have doubled our square footage, changed our Food Bank to a 'Client Choice Food Bank', have a training/conference room for financial, educational and information training and all services are now offered in one building. The Center has undergone many wonderful changes over the years and continues to prosper for the glory of God. Our organization could not exist without our loyal volunteers, staff and support of our community. We are blessed to have a great group of volunteers to work sorting the donations of clothing and other items that we sell in the Thrift Store, plus work with our clients in our Food Bank. In addition to the money generated from the Thrift Store, we rely on churches, civic groups, businesses, grants and individuals for financial donations to help a greater number of people.
Impact
As we continued to navigate through 2021, we learned to adapt to new procedures, evaluate programs and look for the best ways to help those we serve, while being the best stewards of the financial and physical gifts we have been given with transparency, accountability, and compassion.
This year our numbers look a little different because we increased the amount of Mobile Food Pantries throughout the county, often offering these 2-3 times per month, and times assisting as many as 350 families per event. With the increase in Mobile Food Pantries, it lowered the numbers of families calling in for food assistance. This allowed us to offer families that called in, more food.
When the Pandemic began in 2020, we instituted a "Contactless" Assistance Program that requires those seeking aid to complete our application process over the phone, schedule an appointment to receive food, and remain in their vehicles during pickup through our alley. We continue to take every precaution necessary to keep our staff, volunteers and the families we serve safe during our new normal.
In 2021, we assisted 1,381 households, totaling over 3,100 individuals, with food, clothing and financial assistance, as well as many other services. Below you will see a breakdown of some of the assistance we have provided:
Food - provided food for 852 families (over 1,963 individuals) over 2,396 times. In addition, we deliver to approximately 80 elderly shut-ins monthly through our End of the Month Club.
Backpack Program - $6,910 partnership with Dickson County Coordinated School Health and White Bluff Church of Christ to provide 400-500 children weekly with easy to prepare food for the
weekend.
Clothing- Provided clothes to 57 families (over 153 individuals) in need. This number does not reflect clothes provided to our school social workers, teachers and nurses for students in need.
Utilities - $59,908
Rent/Mortgage- $22,538
Medication/Medical - $1,109
Emergency Home Repairs for the elderly - $2,843
Disaster Assistance (fire & natural disaster) - $35,998
Homeless Financial Assistance (motel, bus tickets, gas) - $12,023
Gas & Automotive Help - $ 281
Misc. Help (birth certificates, ids, clothes, etc.) - $8,992
Air Conditioners, Fans & Heaters - 29
Turkeys & Hams for the holidays-1,148 (Topless In Tennessee Jeep Club fried 62 turkeys)
Food For Pantry - $73,722 (cost of food we purchased for Mobile Food Pantries and to keep our shelves stocked)
18 Second Harvest Mobile Food Pantries that provided food for up to 250 families each giveaway.
Christmas Toy Store - Partnered with several groups, churches, businesses, and individuals to help provide Christmas to 301 families with 769 children.
Needs
1. Improve Thrift Store sales by encouraging the community to donate quality items so that we can generate additional revenue for financial assistance program.
2. Provide additional assistance to those elderly and disabled neighbors who are in need of prescription medications and home repairs ($20,000).
3. We need the program material and volunteers to implement a Financial Counseling class.
4. As we are nearing the end of 2022, we can safely say that 2022 has been a year of increase for our Assistance Program, more so now than in 2020 & 2021. With the inflation of food, staple items and housing expenses, the need for our services has almost doubled.
CEO Statement
We believe that if we do the right things with the gifts that we receive, the Lord will bless us with the things that we need in order to serve those in need in our community.
We are often asked who we will and will not serve...here is where we stand. We will not discriminate against anyone, regardless of their lifestyle, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, etc. We are not here to judge, nor condemn...we are here to help. With that being said, if a person (regardless of who they are) comes in who is chronically unemployed, who choses not to work or take necessary steps to better their situation or is unwilling to work with us, they will be denied. We are not here to help those who are unwilling to do what is needed. We are here to help those who are in a temporary state of need, whose income is less than what is needed to live a modest lifestyle, have been involved in a natural disaster, or who live in poverty due to circumstances beyond their control. In order to be the best stewards of our resources, we implemented and administer the Charity Tracker Network for Dickson County. This is an online database that is available to approved agencies in Dickson County. Through this network, local agencies and churches can work together to meet the needs of those we serve, while identifying those who seek to abuse the system. As our network grows, it has become a valuable tool in making sure that help goes to those who truly need it.
To give our supporters a better understanding of what we do, we are always available for walk through tours. We are blessed by our facility and feel that when a potential donor comes in for a tour, they will leave with a better understanding of not only what we do, but why we do what we do. Our goal is to show them how we can work together to make a difference in our community. Thank you for taking the time to visit our profile today. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Renee Boehm, Executive Director
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Emergency Assistance (Food, Clothing, Cash) |
| Secondary Category: | Food, Agriculture & Nutrition - Food Banks, Food Pantries |
| Tertiary Category: | Housing, Shelter - Fund Raising & Fund Distribution |
Areas Served
Our services are primarily for residents of Dickson County, with the exceptions of transients and those referred by local social workers and medical professionals.
| TN - Dickson |
