June 21, 2023 - The Shelby County Commissioners recognized June as Hunger Awareness Month during their meeting held June 7, 2023.
Sherry Harding, Executive Director of Shelby County Outreach Ministries (SCOM), shared that Shelby County Outreach Ministries has been serving the community for over 26 years, and their mission is to feed the hungry and assist the needy in Shelby County.
She said that their motto is, “striving to be the hands and heart of Christ in the community.”
In 2022, SCOM estimates that over $300,000 went back into the community in the form of food, utilities, volunteer hours, and other forms of client assistance. Harding says that in 2022 they distributed 2,785 emergency food boxes, feeding 5,309. In that same year, Harding reports they met 4.594 different needs in the community.
Thus far, in 2023, they have distributed 1,207 emergency food boxes, feeding approximately 3,000 people. To date of the meeting, SCOM numbers indicated meeting a total of 1,416 needs in the community.
Harding said during the month of May they fed 30 extra families, and they are averaging 250-300 emergency food boxes going out on a monthly basis.
“We all know children are at home right now during the summer, we also know that the rising cost of inflation is affecting everyone,” said Harding. “We’ve had an opportunity to look into some of the senior citizens that we’re serving, and the majority of our people are living on $600 and less a month.”
Harding described how many of the programs offered by SCOM are a benefit to people in the community, with only nine full-time employees.
“We are honored today that we are proclaiming June as Hunger Awareness Month,” said Harding.
She stated there are different activities to support feeding the hungry which are ongoing during June and including assisting the needy. Some local businesses will have donation jars and containers for food items to be donated.
Anyone interested in making a donation, Shelby County Outreach Ministries is open Monday through Friday from 9am until 4pm and is accepting food items or monetary donations. Shelby County Outreach Ministries is located at 930 Shelbyville Street in Center.
A motion carried to declare June as Hunger Awareness Month.
J.J. Ford, representing Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT), gave a report on recent activities at the Historic 1885 Courthouse, where the DRT are now the courthouse docents.
She stated that during the months of April and May, 2023, the 1885 Courthouse welcomed 56 visitors to the courthouse. The visitor who had traveled the furthest was from England at an estimated distance of 4,839 miles. The second furthest visitor was from Anchorage, Alaska at a distance of 4,155 miles estimated.
Overall, the courthouse had 13 out-of-state visitors from Alaska, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Then there was the one out-of-country visitor from England.
The first group of the visitors were the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors for their meeting on April 19 and the courthouse was their program along with the DRT Traveling Trunk.
The busiest day for visitor traffic at the courthouse not from a singular group was on Friday, May 19 with 14 visitors. There was one social media photographer to visit who highlight the courthouse on their social media account.
The DRT had 10 volunteers donate 159 volunteer hours as Docents of the courthouse and keeping it open to the public.
Event that are scheduled and upcoming include:
- June 23 - CRT Convention at the 1885 Courthouse
- July (date pending) - Rotary Club to Meet at the Courthouse for tour
- August 18-20 - Wedding Booked
- August 25-27 - Wedding Booked
Merle Howard, DRT President, reported if there would be any reason the CRT couldn’t meet upstairs in the courthouse due to air conditioning repairs, there is an alternate option of utilizing the Community House.
Vickie Martin, DRT member, stated it has been an honor to be able to share Shelby County History with visitors and she thanked the Commissioners’ Court for appointing the DRT as Docents for the courthouse.
Commissioner Tom Bellmyer remarked Tom Smeltzer has been working on the sprinkler system at the courthouse and it’s fully operational now.
Shelby County Judge Allison Harbison stated that three years ago iPads were purchased for elections and the county has now received notification the iPads will no longer be supported by Apple, which leaves the county with 33 iPads which are no longer useful for use during elections. The company that originally sold those original iPads to the county for the Elections Administration office has offered the possibility of a three-year lease of iPads.
A motion carried by the commissioners to table the iPads for review of the lease.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:15am.
Agenda items approved during the meeting include: 1. Pay weekly expenses. 2. Current Payroll. 3. County Treasurer to attend on-line NACO Enterprise CyberSecurity Leadership 12-week course to be paid from General Fund Records Management. 4. Proclamation declaring June as Hunger Awareness Month. 5. Texas Association of Counties Blue Cross Blue Shield group health insurance plan for FY2024. 6. Adjourn at 10:15am. Agenda items tabled during the meeting include: 1. Leasing or purchasing iPad’s for the Election Administration office.
