SHERIDAN, Ark. — The first day of December is finally here which means you may be hearing more Christmas music playing or more lights spread across the city.
The peak of the holiday season is now in full swing so several food pantries throughout the state will begin needing your help.
The Grant County Unified Community Resource Council (GCUCRC) is an umbrella organization that has served the people of Grant County for over 30 years. It has five different entities from literacy counseling to family resources.
Mandy Taylor is the Assistant Director of Kathy's Closet & Food Pantry, which is one of the GCUCRC's five entities.
She said the thrift store and food pantry needs your help, so they can continue to meet the needs of their neighbors.
"We just keep getting more and more people added through the month," Taylor said.
Kathy's Closet & Food Pantry sits on East Center Street in Sheridan.
"Everything that we do here supports our women's shelter, so that we can clothe them and that we can feed them and get them into their own house," Taylor said.
She said supporting the "Keeping the Faith" Women's Shelter is just one of the many groups of people this thrift store provides for.
"Here in Grant County, we're feeding about 175 families, which is 483 people," Taylor said.
She said in November alone, 11 new families were added to their list.
Volunteers spend their Monday through Fridays picking up food from Wal-Mart to give to these families in need, but Taylor said anyone who stops by the food pantry will never be sent away empty-handed.
"We will not turn you down. If you come in here and you need food, I'm going to set you up, I will give you a bag of food," she said.
Taylor said recently empty shelves and empty freezers have left the pantry scarce.
"You get extra people during the holidays. They realize that they don't have the money, they don't have the food and it's that time of the year so they need help," she said.
Taylor said holiday season at Kathy's Closet also means it's time for their annual Angel Tree, where kids in the county can get a Christmas they wouldn't have gotten otherwise.
"What the family can't afford is helped out by somebody else buying for their kid. It just means the world to them, they're excited on Christmas, they have gifts to open," she said.
Taylor said they give kids things they need, like shoes and coats, but also things they want, like toys and games.
She said this year they have 309 kids on their Angel Tree and still need 142 kids to be picked.
"Which is more than last year. It's grown every year," Taylor said.
She said the thrift store and food pantry mainly provide for Grant County but they also help out anyone who is in need no matter where they're from.
"Everything that I do here every day is me helping somebody. I'm clothing somebody that needs clothes, I'm feeding somebody that needs food, I'm making a difference in their life," Taylor said.
You can drop off donations at Kathy's Closet & Food Pantry during normal business hours:
106 East Center Street
Sheridan, AR 72150
- Monday-Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Friday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For the food pantry, they need frozen meats, canned meats, pasta noodles, ramen noodles, and boxed meals.
They also are always in need of coats, jackets, shoes and any household items like dishes, microwaves or washers and dryers.
If you would like to help a kid for the Angel Tree, you can go to their store and pick out a name.
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