Written by Kathy Witt
Georgetown’s AMEN House provides food, clothing and financial assistance to thousands of families in Scott County. The need for its services is always there, but the Thanksgiving holiday shines an even brighter spotlight on the critical importance of this nonprofit organizations’ outreach and impact on the food-insecure in our community.
“We have about 4,000 neighbors in Scott County that, at some point during the calendar year, have needed to lean on the AMEN House for food assistance,” said Michele Carlisle, executive director. “All of these individuals are eligible for our Thanksgiving Food Baskets.
“Based on previous years, we expect around 1,000 families to receive a Thanksgiving Basket from us.”
The baskets are typically filled with everything a family needs to prepare their Thanksgiving feast: A $15 gift card to purchase a turkey, plus box mixes of potatoes and stuffing, assorted canned goods including cranberries, gravy and fruit, chicken broth and dessert.
Families need to be registered clients at the AMEN House to receive the basket, but registration is very simple.
“We need a photo ID and proof of Scott County residency, and we need to calculate your monthly household income,” said Michele. “Your family will be connected to food the very same day.”
Due to COVID-19, this year’s food distribution will look different as AMEN House cannot hold its usual one-day event. Instead, for clients who need a box, pick up will be available during normal business hours beginning on November 2 and continuing to the day before Thanksgiving. The month-long distribution has pushed up the timeline so that food donations now need to be at AMEN House before Halloween to allow time to prepare the baskets.
For those wishing to contribute to the Thanksgiving Food Baskets, AMEN House is requesting donations of $15 gift cards to Walmart or Kroger (for families to purchase their turkey) as well as food donations (see accompanying list).
“Donors can also make a cash donation towards Thanksgiving and the AMEN House volunteers are happy to do the shopping,” said Michele.
The tax-deductible donations may be dropped off, 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, with extended hours on Tuesday until 3 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to noon on the third Saturday of the month. Alternatively, donations may be made at https://amenhouse.org/donate and checks may be mailed to P.O. Box 211, Georgetown, KY 40324.
Noted Michele: “We fight hunger every day at the AMEN House, but there is just something special about Thanksgiving. It truly is a food holiday, and we believe all of our neighbors should be able to prepare a feast for their family.”
The Georgetown community has a tradition of paying it forward and heartening us with so many acts of kindness. (See stories here.) This year, the need for so many is even greater than ever due to the impact of COVID-19 and the pandemic. May these stories continue to inspire all of us to help our friends in the community in whatever ways we can.
