Chest drive stalls out at $13,735
By Sandy Morris
Albany Chest board members knew that 2020 would provide some fundraising challenges, but with less than one month left in the annual Albany Chest campaign and many more contributions needed in order to meet the 2020 goal of $41,000, they are worried.
The goal was set by the directors at the start of the campaign after they reviewed the submitted funding requests from 25 organizations.
The total donated as of Tuesday, Dec. 1 was $13,735, which is the same total as last week.
“I can’t even remember the last time I got a check,” stated treasurer Paige Adair at First National Bank.
Albany Chest president Amy Kelly commented that there is a wide gap between $14,000 and $41,000.
“We’re hoping now that Thanksgiving has passed, more people will be looking toward year-end giving,” said Kelly. “If more donations are not received, the board will have to make some very tough decisions.”
These decisions will mean local organizations will either receive much less money than they requested, or even worse, no funding at all.
“If you or a family member participates or benefits from any of the 25 organizations that have been highlighted in the newspaper over the past few weeks, please make a donation of any amount that you can,” urged Kelly.
She went on to say that some people may think these organizations don’t apply to them, but the Albany Chest funds programs that benefit all ages and all walks of life.
“Consider Albany without daycare and early childhood development for our kids, without team sports in the spring, without service and job opportunities for our teens,” said Kelly. “Imagine no meals for the elderly, no protection from fires both in our homes and on our lands, and no Wifi access for remote learners or job seekers.”
In this week’s edition of the News, two more organizations requesting assistance from the Albany Chest are spotlighted.
Vittles by Vehicle
Vittles by Vehicle is a home-delivered meal program operated through ResouceCare.
The program operates on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week and currently serves 38 elderly citizens and shut-ins.
“Vittles by Vehicle has been in operation for more than 20 years and continues to help those who are in need of a warm meal,” said ResourceCare program director Mindy Ary. “Local churches rotate monthly to provide volunteers to deliver the meals and the collaboration continues to be a success in putting an end to hunger.”
Clients are eligible for the program when they are age 60 or older, are disabled or homebound due to a medical condition.
The program currently receives only one grant to fund its services, forcing ResourceCare to fund raise a substantial amount to cover the costs of the program.
Ary stated that the program served a total of 5,465 home-delivered meals in 2019.
First Love Daycare
First Love Daycare is Albany’s only five-day-a-week accredited day care facility.
Located in the First Baptist Church, it provides a Christian, non-denominational learning program for each of its children in a clean, attractive, and healthy environment.
First Love provides school pick-up, transportation to extra-curricular activities, daily snacks, and a nutritious lunch.
According to First Love Daycare director Joni Beaty, the classes currently are full and there is a waiting list of children who need out of home care.
The day care has encountered financial stress with the increasing prices of common necessities such as food, paper goods, and cleaning supplies.
While the day care has a larger “wish list” including items such as updated curriculum, new centers and classroom furniture, those items must take a backseat to the daily necessities.
Donation Details
The Albany Chest board traditionally waits to see how the money comes in before setting final allocations.
The fundraising drive will end on Dec. 31 and board members hope to distribute checks to the organizations soon after the first of the year.
Contributions to the Chest can be given to Paige Adair at First National Bank or Keri Hebel at First Financial Bank, or they can be mailed to Albany Chest, PO Box 2019, Albany TX 76430.
