Making a difference: Nonprofit helps feed children and families in need

It was eight years ago when Jim and Linda Jones learned from a bus driver friend in the Dunnavant area that around 40 kids in the area needed food. They would board the bus on Monday mornings pale and lethargic after not having much of anything to eat over the weekend.

The couple, who attends Double Oak Community Church in Mt Laurel, wanted to do something to help, so they bought food and took it to the school. They were told if they would provide the food, the teachers would put it in the students backpacks on Fridays. However, they soon discovered the demand was far greater than they realized.

The first month, the couple purchased the food with money from their own pockets, but when it increased to 600 kids per week, they asked their church family and several churches around the area to join them in the effort.

“Linda and I had been on 25 short-term mission trips on five continents and seen hunger everywhere we went,” Jim Jones said. “We realized we could serve people in need in Shelby and surrounding counties. Instead of flying around the world, we could give it to people we know at home.”

They decided to form a nonprofit, Alabama Childhood Food Solutions, and also got a membership in the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. That helped them get donations from five large grocery store chains, including Publix, Walmart, Aldi, Sprouts and Winn-Dixie.

Childhood food insecurity is prevalent and happens close to home. More than 200,000 children in Alabama are food insecure, and more than 21,400 children in central Alabama may go to bed hungry at night when not in school that day.

ACFS serves more than 2,300 children in 38 schools throughout Shelby, Coosa, Talladega, Chilton, Calhoun and Randolph counties by sending weekend sacks of food home with them on Fridays that will provide 2,500 to 3,000 calories of nutritious food for them over the weekend.

The process begins with volunteers taking food off the shelves, placing the correct amount for each school in a plastic tub and volunteers delivering the food to the schools. Teachers then place the food in their backpacks, which includes items such as Beanie Weenies, grits, oatmeal, toaster pastries and ramen noodles, to give them seven small meals over the weekend.

ACFS doesn’t only serve children, but also families. Around the time it started the backpack program, it began End Hunger Sylacauga as another part of its mission. The program distributes food on the first and third Thursdays each month to qualifying families.

The organization feeds close to 330 families each of those two days, totaling nearly 700 families a month. Each family receives 80 pounds of food (equivalent to a full grocery cart) each month.

The cost of the operation is around $30,000 per month, and it takes 50 volunteers to make these distribution days a reality. Many of the volunteers come from north Shelby County.

Distribution takes place at the 8,600-square-foot ACFS warehouse in Sylacauga. They have been renting the building from Marble City Baptist Church for $1 per year for the last five years. It provides everything needed to run the operation, including a waiting room for the people being served, a room dedicated to the food items for the backpacks, a room with a conveyor line where the bins are filled for those who pick up each month and a walk-in refrigerator and freezer.

During pick-up days, customers must pre-register and are assigned block of time. They are given a color-coded card based on the number of people in their family. Once their number is called, volunteers pull their food and put it into tubs and take it out to their car for them.

Peggy Wilson has been coming to ACSF for three years and lives in Sylacauga. She said this service is a big help and that people don’t get enough from food stamps.

“It helps me, my children and grandchildren, which range in age from 6-13,” she said. “We come once a month, and thank God for it. It is a big help. I kept calling until they got me on the list. I’m persistent in whatever I do.”

Besides their pool of regular volunteers, school groups also come in to help. On Sept. 19, a group of about 20 students from Childersburg middle and high schools were there. Mandy Ratliff, their Future Business Leaders of America teacher, said she brings groups between four and eight times per year.

“We try to promote community service and helping others, she said. “We love to come and help and experience being part of a community and helping others.”

Jones said by providing food to as many people as they can, he believes ACFS can improve the quality of life for children, their ability to learn, improve their general health and make changes in their attitude so they enjoy being in school.

“Our goal is to change the lives of children,” he said. “To do that, we start with their tummy, and once it’s full, their mind will fill up. We just enjoy serving people and think we can make a difference if we can work with others around us in each of our communities.”

ACFS recently received a bus from the Talladega City Board of Education to assist its summer program.

Last year ACFS provided 70,000 bags of food to kids and 700,000 pounds of food to families.

In the month of October, ACFS had a Sock it to Hunger campaign. Socks were given to kids in 17 schools to be returned filled with loose change. The hope was to raise approximately $10,000 from that effort.

ACFS currently serves several schools in Chelsea and is looking to expand to more in Shelby County soon. Opportunities are available for food bags in more Shelby County schools, and those interested can contact Jim Jones. For more information on donating and volunteering with ACFS, visit alabamachildhoodfood.com.