Albany Chest gives $46,650 to applicants

By Melinda L. Lucas

Even though the Albany Chest fell short of its $47,000 goal by $5,000, the board gave away well over that amount at a brief meeting on Jan. 25.

The 2022 campaign was closed out last week at $42,003, but with reserves in the account, the board ended up allocating just under the goal amount.

When the directors met back in October 2022, they came up with a total of $46,650 for the 25 applicants, with many of the requests trimmed back from the original grand total of $55,078.

Albany Chest president Jana Kitchens said the board was disappointed, but not surprised, that the campaign fell short.

“We surpassed the goal by a lot for the two years before this, and that was actually surprising,” said Kitchens. “It’s been a tough few years, and it’s just amazing that Albany residents and people connected with Albany continue to be so generous year after year. Our donors just keep giving.”

Distribution Decisions

At one point during the drive, the board was afraid the goal was going to fall so far short that they would be forced to make difficult decisions on how the money would be distributed among the various organizations that had applied for support.

However, the contributions moved up to a point that they could be combined with what the Chest had in reserve and still fund the amount that the directors had set.

“We like to keep at least $3,000 in the account so we can help an organization that might need something with specific during the year,” said Kitchens. “I think we have enough to do that. We’ve been blessed once again”

2022 Allocations

Board treasurer Kalico Leech has already started allocating the Chest monies to 25 different organizations that were approved for funding last fall, including the following:

Albany 7 on 7 ­Football $800, Albany Cub Scouts $2,000, AHS FCCLA $600, Albany Volunteer Fire Department $5,000, Albany Flag Football $1,500, Albany Youth Softball Association $2,000, Albany Little League $2,000, Albany’s Cause for Paws $1,500, Chelsy’s Project (Diaper Ministry) $500, Closet Angels $1,000, First Love Day Care $2,000, GED Program $500, MMPC Mother’s Day Out $2,000.

Also NSES Awards Program $1,500, Project Graduation $1,000, Resource Care ASPIRE $2,000, Resource Care Day Camp $3,000, Resource Care Vittles by Vehicle $3,000, Rural Fire Department $2,500, Senior Citizens Activity Center $3,000, Shackelford County 4-H $1,500, Shackelford County Library/Study Club $2,500, Stepping Stones Christian School $2,000, Feed Store $3,000, and West Texas Rehabilitation Center $250.