The Giving Season: Non-Profit Organization's You Can Assist This Holiday Season

 We're nearing the holiday season and you know what that means, special times and memories with families and friends. However, the holidays are not such a joyous time for all, some in the community are not as fortunate and as such are in need of a little extra assistance every now and then. The holiday season is a fantastic time for you to volunteer or donate some of your time, energy, or resources to help brighten a person in need. In this week's blog, the Lake West Chamber is proud to feature a few non-profit organizations that you can assist to help make this holiday season special for those in need in your community.

Ivy Bend Food Shelter

Ivy Bend Food Shelter was established in 1994 by Donna Allen and her daughter Tanna. The initial goal was to help their neighbors by gathering food from family and friends, then sharing it with those in need. After seeing the huge need for food in the community they approached Second Harvest ( currently The Columbia Food Bank) for additional support. 

In 2006 the Ivy Bend Food pantry was provided a mobile home to use for storage and distribution of the food, receiving a second mobile home in 2010 to increase the capacity. Later, in 2012 the pantry applied and received grant funds needed to repair and combine both mobile homes under one roof - doubling the capacity for food storage and distribution. Then, in 2014, funds raised from a 2014 NAP grant program provided the opportunity to build a new food pantry building, assisting the shelter in keeping up with the needs of the community.

Today, Ivy Bend Food Shelter serves the people of Morgan County with their food, education, and counseling needs. The contributions made by people and companies who care will enable us to provide and continue to fund these new services. With your help, we will make change possible in Ivy Bend. If you're interested in helping out or donating contact Ivy Bend Food Panty via their website (link above).

Share the Harvest

Share the Harvest Food Shelter and Resale Nook was first established in 2004 by a group of volunteers that opened a Youth Center in Greenview to serve the West Side of the Lake in Camden County. After opening it became apparent that there was a dire need for food for the youth and their families. This is where it all began.

Today, Share the Harvest Food Pantry serves an average of 800 families a month. In the past 8 years, Share the Harvest has provided 2,880,000 lbs. of food. 50% of the food on the shelves comes from the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, 35% from local grocery stores, and 15% from local community donations.

Government guidelines are used to qualify people. Share the Harvest food pantry doors are open 3 days a week, Tuesdays from 1-7 p.m. Wednesdays from 10am to 4pm, Thursdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. They are open in the evening on Tuesday so that people who are working but earning a minimum income, can come to help stretch their food dollars.

They have USDA food, donations from surrounding communities, and fresh produce is grown on-site. You are allowed to visit the food pantry once per month and must fall within the guidelines established by the government.

Share The Harvest Food Pantry and Resale Nook exists to strengthen the family unit by connecting people in need of food and other resources to meet their needs. Please call us if you have any questions or are in need of assistance at 573-873-5855.

CDAV

Citizens Against Domestic Violence was established in 1984 as a non-profit organization that provides shelter, advocacy, support, and crisis intervention to victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Board, staff, and volunteers work diligently to provide the victims with resources, information, tools, and support that encourage them to make and sustain choices that will have a positive impact on their lives. The goal is to provide them with all the assistance the victims need in order to lead secure, happy lives free from violence or toxic environments.

Volunteering is a vital component to the success of CADV, if you are interested in volunteering please contact our staff at CADV via our website (link above).

CCCAC

Camden County Child Advocacy Council is driven to provide support to the Children's Division, Family Support Division, Area Schools, as well as individuals and families that are referred over via community agencies.

CCCAC takes part in numerous programs throughout the year that assist with the mission to serve and protect the children and families in the community. These events include Christmas is Sharing, Foster Child Christmas, Back to School Fair, Emergency Dental for Children, Lice Treatment Program, Arts in the Park, Scholarship Fund, as well and Misc Grants.

If you're interested in becoming a member of CCCAC to help advocate and provide assistance to children and families in need check out our website or feel stop by one of our meetings, held on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm in the Mid County Fire Dept. at 184 Hwy 5 North, Camdenton, MO 65020.

The Lake of the Ozarks area has some outstanding non-profit organizations that provide amazing services for those in need in our community. As we mentioned, the holidays aren't always such a special time of year for everyone, but when you donate time, efforts, or funds to any one of these organizations you're taking a diligent step to brighten somebody's day/future. The Lake West Chamber is honored to be a part of a community that is dedicated to providing resources and promoting growth in the Lake of the Ozarks community. If there is a specific organization that you'd like to help out with, please contact the Chamber, we'd be happy to get you connected.

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