This time of year has been nicknamed the season of giving, and there has been no shortage of giving in Bainbridge. Food drives all over the city have had success collecting donations for the Thanksgiving holidays.
Care Chiropractic on S. West Street has been hosting a food drive for the past seven years. All donations dropped off were sent to Decatur County Family Connections.
“We’ve got hundreds of items that will be dispersed,” Dr. Landin Marzoff of Care Chiropractic said. “It’s been right on point compared to other years.”
However, Marzoff said it wouldn’t hurt to be able to collect more food than they already do.
“There is still a need for more food,” Decatur County Family Connection Coordinator Ronnie Burke said. “Poverty level is high in Bainbridge. The need is still there year-round, not just during Thanksgiving.”
To help raise the incentive for donations, Marzoff created a raffle at Care Chiropractic. For every five items a person donates, they are entered in to win a free massage.
Decatur County Family Connection has partnered with other organizations around the city to collect food, including First Port City Bank and First Methodist Church.
“If we have a need, Family Connection is there to help,” Decatur County Family Connection Chairman Scott Ewing said. “This year was very successful. There is still food coming in and the shelves are nearly full. The school system was a big help.”
Family Connection handles donations by referral. Guidance counselors at local schools or members of other organizations can request for food to be sent to families in Decatur County if someone is in need.
All the food collected by Family Connection stays within Decatur County and provides for the local community.
But Ewing hopes exposure can continue to grow. He said if there was more community involvement and residents promoting donations through their own channels, even more of a difference could be made for people who need food in Decatur County.
“It’s just hard to reach everyone,” Ewing said.
Salvation Army also continues to provide for the community, holding a food drive that ran throughout November.
They also teamed with Grace Christian Academy, whose fourth grade class held a food drive and collected over a thousand cans. Other organizations, such as Decatur County Retired Teachers, teamed with Salvation Army to collect food and help provide to the community.
More donations are always important, but Bainbridge and Decatur County still continue to show their support for those who are in need, particularly during the holiday season.
“We have a good network of folks who help us out a lot,” Burke said. “Decatur (County) is a very caring community.”