Individuals, clubs, schools…you are welcome to come by and take a tour through the Seventh Day Adventist Community Service Center in Gallatin.
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Karen and Bill Reed, directors of the Seventh Day Community Service Center, recently received 1,400 pounds of carrots from Second Harvest Food Bank. A truck came with a big box on a wooden pallet.
“If you like raw carrots or carrots in your stew or want to can carrots, come in and get some carrots,” Karen laughs.
She explains that the center has its own distribution system that finds outlets for large amounts of produce so that nothing goes to waste.
“All of the area food banks work together. If we have excess, we phone around. That way we can all get a little bit.”
Semi-truck accidents are an unexpected supply source for the center. One recent semi was upended carrying dairy products. Another was carrying beans. Now the center has lots of yogurt and all kinds of beans — black beans, great northern beans, garbanzo beans and mixed beans.
The Reeds have been the directors of the service center since the early 80s when it was located on West Mill Street in an old two-story house.
“The center has grown intensely since then,” says Karen. “In the little house we only gave things away. Then we started one room, where Nina Clevenger sold vases, pans, knick-knacks. We thought, why not have a thrift shop? The funds could help take care of the costs included in running a place.”
In those early years, th
ere were only a handful of volunteers. Then came the flood of 1993. The center was asked to take care of all the clothing donated to flood victims, which was stacked in the high school gym. It was a huge undertaking and through that effort, the center volunteers got acquainted with volunteers from various churches in the area.
It was the start of something good…and something big.
The new Gallatin Seventh-Day Adventist Community Service Center was built in the spring of 1997 and today averages around 20 volunteers.
The volunteers are a mix of young and old and various churches: Adventist, Baptists, Methodists, Mormon, Christian, etc — people who might not otherwise have occasion to meet.
They all have one thing in common. They’re ready to do just about anything to make the center run like a clean, well-oiled machine. They give their time and burn their own gas. They vacuum and dust. They chop up cardboard boxes and haul off recyclables. High school boys have helped load things and teenage girls have worked as cashiers.
In return, the volunteers find meaningful work, purpose, and a huge circle of friends.
Volunteers are always being sought. Karen is partial to widows and widowers.
“They can do more than watch television or sit on the porch,” she says. “They can get out of the house and help the community.”
The service center has certain rules/qualifications for volunteers:
Physically able to lift a case of food
No smoking
No little children
The Seventh Day Community Service Center is open every Wednesday. There are two entrances.
The east entrance is off Willow Street. Before you even enter the doors, you will see items sitting around on the sidewalk and porch. This stuff is all free to anyone. These things are leftovers from the thrift shop. There may also be cardboard boxes outside there for people to pick up.
After you enter the double doors, your first stop should be the free clothing room on your left. This clothing is usable and clean; it is a little too worn for the thrift shop, and it is free to anyone.
After you select your clothing, sign the book and put a number by what items you’ve taken.
It would be easiest if you took the free items to your vehicle at this point.
Now come back in and take a number and give your number to Cindy Jones, the lady at the desk. She will determine if you are there for commodities or the fresh room or both (or if you are a new person signing up for the first time).
Signing the clipboard lets Cindy know how many are in your family so she can pick the right box of commodities.
Wait for your number to be called.
While you wait, shop in the fresh room. The fresh room, or pantry, is straight ahead. This is the area by the refrigerator with a glass front. The fresh room is for county residents only.
The produce comes from Wal-Mart or the Jamesport Auction or is given by people who have extra from their gardens.
The canned pantry food comes from food drives by the post office, boy scouts, churches, and so forth.
Keep in mind….there are no fresh room products on the second Wednesday of the month.
“There is something different every week in the pantry,” Karen says. “We always try to have something for you to take, even though there may be no vegetables in the refrigerator.”
When you come in to the fresh room/food pantry, you will be asked for:
proof of address;
proof of income;
proof of how many in household are on food stamps;
picture identification (ID).
By now, Cindy will have put your name on a box of commodities. The box will be brought to you. They’ll even take it out to your vehicle if you need them to.
If it sounds like there’s a system to it, there is.
“We have to have people take their turn,” Karen says. “We just don’t have enough room for six or eight people at one time.”
There is an emergency food pantry available. This is both canned and fresh food and is free to everyone in Daviess County (with proof of residency).
“This is a nice box of food that is for people who get in a bind,” Karen says, “they’ve had an accident or a fire, a job loss, or the grandmother who has to take care of the grandkids.”
Second Harvest Senior Program allows 35 pounds of food in addition to commodities. This is for people over 60 who are living off of social security income and trying to stay out of debt.
“Most of these seniors spend their money on medical bills,” Karen says.
The process is not without paperwork.
The center must follow government guidelines for fresh produce and commodities through the USDA.
The Government Commodities Program is from Second Harvest in St. Joseph. It is delivered every month. Second Harvest serves 15 counties and the commodities are divided by how many people are served. Daviess County, being a smaller county, receives a smaller percentage.
Other paperwork must be turned into Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and Second Harvest.
The Seventh Day Adventist Center is for the community, and the fellowship/dining hall is available for non-profit meetings. As of now, the VFW Ladies and AA meet there.
The Thrift Shop is on Clay Street.
Clothes from 0-4 are priced mostly at 25 cents, except for some brand names which may be a little higher. Adult clothes are 50 cents for the tops and one dollar for the bottoms/jeans.
There’s just about everything in the thrift shop — glassware, lamps, pots and pans, etc.
“Right now we have a sale going on with 50 percent off vintage glass, ceramics and crystal,” Karen says.
Thrift Shop money goes to the Food Pantry and Commodities Program and utilities, medical and emergency help. It does not go to Seventh Day Adventist Church.
“The church supports this,” says Karen. “This does not support the church.”
The center welcomes donations of clothing but does ask you to be thoughtful.
“Be selective,” says Karen. “The center isn’t a drop-off center for junk.”
Place drop-offs on Willow Street. An inside room is available.
“We really want to thank the community for the help and donations, financial support and, especially, the volunteers,” says Karen. “Without the community’s help, this place would be closed. Please come by, I’ll give you a tour!”
*****So far this year, Seventh Day has given away 30,000 items of free clothing.*****
The Food Bank Annual Summary for 2017 lists the following year-to-date, January to September:
Fresh Room: Households 1,622; Individuals 3,759; New Households 200; New Individuals 549.
USDA: Households 1,107; Individuals 2,379; New Households 71; New Individuals 252.
Total Households Served – 2,729
Total Individuals Served – 6,138
PICTURE: (Above) Volunteers and directors of the service center and Karen and Bill Reed are pictured in the pantry. A recent $6,500 repair to a walk-in freezer cut into the center’s monies. Donated funds are appreciated. Call the center at 663-2478. Or you may call Bill and Karen Reed at home at 663-4335. Men’s Area. Free clothing. Misc. items.
PICTURE: (Below) Volunteers pictured: Susie Strasser, Pat Frye, Dorothy Stevenson and Sarah Dowell. Other volunteers are Lucille Bruce, Melanie Cooper, Jeff Cooper, Diane Creel, Richard Goodman, Marlene Griffin, Donna Hogan, Jake Hogan, Ron Kubel, Bill Latimer, Liz McNeely, Betty Peters, Jacque Prindle, Karen Walker, Barbara Wilson and Cyndi Jones. Misc. items in the thrift shop. Formal wear area. 
C
hildren’s area. Senior boxes.
