Elberta Blessing Barn is open for the community

By Jessica Vaughn
Posted 11/10/21

ELBERTA - After months of planning, overcoming setbacks and pushing forward, the Elberta Blessing Barn is up and running to help those in need within the community. It is located behind the Elberta …

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Elberta Blessing Barn is open for the community

Elberta Mayor Jim Hamby, Elberta Middle School Principal Katy White, Elberta Middle School Assistant Principal Thomas Duffy, and councilwoman Vicky Norris at the town’s newly constructed Blessing Barn. The Blessing Barn is located behind the Civic Center along Alabama Street and will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Elberta Mayor Jim Hamby, Elberta Middle School Principal Katy White, Elberta Middle School Assistant Principal Thomas Duffy, and councilwoman Vicky Norris at the town’s newly constructed Blessing Barn. The Blessing Barn is located behind the Civic Center along Alabama Street and will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jessica Vaughn / Gulf Coast Media
Posted

ELBERTA - After months of planning, overcoming setbacks and pushing forward, the Elberta Blessing Barn is up and running to help those in need within the community. It is located behind the Elberta Civic Center, along Alabama Street. The Blessing Barn is equipped with electricity that was provided and will be paid for by the Town of Elberta. It will be open from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. every day of the week.

The project was spearheaded by Elberta Middle School Principal Katy White after school staff approached her about ways to meet the needs of the community. White said the school would receive donations from businesses or individual donors but then run into an issue when trying to deliver them into the hands of those in need. After brainstorming for a solution, the idea for the Blessing Barn was born.

“Our plan is people can either donate directly, there will be a donation box that will be situated when you come into the Blessing Barn so that you can leave donations there and we will organize the items onto the shelves, or if they don’t want to do that then they can bring the items to the middle school and we’ll bring them to the Blessing Barn and organize them,” White said. “Our Peer Helpers in the middle and high schools are going to be helping with that, and it will go towards their service hours. Or if anybody wants to make a monetary donation, they can just bring it to the middle school. We have a special account for that and we can use it to make purchases to keep the barn stocked. So we will accept new or used items and money.” White said businesses that would like to donate any overstock are also welcomed to do so.

The Blessing Barn serves the same purpose as Blessing Boxes, many of which can be found around the county. The Elberta Blessing Barn is lined with shelving where items can be placed. The Blessing Barn will also feature clothing racks near the entrance, and will be stocked with non-perishable food items, clothing and shoes, school supplies, hygiene products, toys and more. Like Blessing Boxes, anyone can donate items to the Blessing Barn, and anyone can step inside to take the items that they need for free. The Blessing Barn is unmanned, offering anonymity for both donors and those who utilize the location.

“Community, that’s what this means to me. Community,” said Elberta Mayor Jim Hamby. “We’re taking care of each other, that’s what community means. That’s what Elberta is.”

The project cost approximately $8,000 to complete, and was made possible through donations from people in the community, White said. The location for the Blessing Barn was chosen to allow privacy for those utilizing the building, while placing it in close proximity to the police department, town hall and the middle and high schools.

“Katy had seen the Blessing Boxes going up all over the county, and she recognized the needs within our own community,” said councilwoman Vicky Norris. “We look forward to meeting some of the needs of our community by providing food and other necessities such as clothing and school supplies. It’s an awesome opportunity for the town to continue to work directly with the schools.”

White said the community can now donate non-perishable food, clothing, books, toys, or health items to the Blessing Barn, and anyone in need can stop by and pick up any items they need.

To learn more, follow Elberta Middle School on Facebook or visit www.bcbe.org/ems. For more on the Town of Elberta, visit https://townofelberta.com.