Community Resource Center

by
Maryann Miller

A two-year dream has come true for the Winnsboro Ministerial Alliance with the official opening of the Winnsboro Community Resource Center (WCRC) on W. Broadway in Winnsboro.

Two years ago - almost to the day - Pastor David Rose shared with the press his vision for the old Rock Building that First Baptist Church had just purchased. "We want to establish a community center where people can come for assistance when needed," he said. "This is for the whole community. Not just people who attend First Baptist."

On June 25, 2010 the Center had a ribbon cutting and David again spoke of the dream. "Sixteen years of prayer and ministry have culminated in this," he said. "This is a place where any person in need of assistance can come and every church and every organization in Winnsboro can send people here."

Pastor Rose went on to explain how the Ministerial Alliance had been working for several years to create a program that would consolidate assistance to area residents and how the whole project gained energy when Gus Gustafson came to Winnsboro as Community Liaison.

Gus made the Resource Center a main priority and enlisted the help of VISTA worker, Christian Entwistle, for assistance with soliciting donations, organizing the food bank, and the myriad of other jobs involved with launching the program. "We had a sense of urgency about this," Gus explained. We wanted to get the food pantry up and running by June 1 so we could keep up with kids who were in the Backpack program that had started when school was in session. We didn't want to lose those kids or those families that needed help."

Gus and Christian went to the East Texas Food Panty in Tyler for training on how to set up and run a pantry. Ten area churches donated food that they had accumulated for their individual pantries, and some local merchants gathered food in a most unusual way. As part of the "3rd Friday" Arts Festival in Winnsboro and "Crazy Daze" shopping some daring folks have started a shopping cart drill team. This past month they promoted the WCRC and solicited donations of food by going around town with their shopping carts.

"Within the first two weeks the pantry served 67 families and 333 individuals," Gus said. "So we have nearly depleted our stock of food. We will get more from the Tyler food bank, but we can always use direct donations of food and/or money to purchase food."

A generous donation from the Winnsboro Foundation of $1000.00 helped get the pantry started. Members of the Foundation Board, as well as the Board for WCRC are pictured here with the donation check. JEB Sales donated the large check to the Foundation to be used that day. "They don't always get credit for all they do," said Tracy Hopkins, who is with the Foundation. "And this check is great. We can use it every time we give a donation to an organization."

City National Bank also helped with fund-raising, offering a barbecue lunch with all the proceeds going to WCRC. Charles Horshem cooked the brisket and made sandwiches while bank Vice President and Loan Officer Shannon Melton helped Gene Daniels serve customers.

The WCRC is a non-profit organization dedicated to lifting the lives of the economically disadvantaged in the community by lending a helping hand that will lead to safety, stability, and a path to self-sufficiency. The goal and vision is to offer a whole list of social services that will deal with education, jobs, substance abuse, domestic violence, youth programs, support groups and counseling. "Once you take care of peoples' physical needs, you can talk to them about their spiritual needs," said Pastor Rose.

Right now the pantry is only open for four hours two days a week, and Christian urges anyone who is interested in volunteering to contact the center. "We would like to be open at least two more days a week," she said. "So we could really use the help."

The center can also use financial support. Checks can be mailed to Winnsboro Community Resource Center, 115 W. Broadway, Winnsboro TX 75494. For more information and to volunteer call 903-342-3287 or e-mail WCRC@winnsboro.com