Caring for Others (CFO) was established in 2001 by Eslene Richmon-Shockley along with five community residents of the Pool Creek Community area in South Fulton County. Initially founded as a food pantry at their church, the organization has grown to a vital entity serving more than 40,000 working poor and chronically homeless individuals in the South Fulton area.
CFO utilizes neighborhood skills and talents to execute its daily operations and special events, which generate the revenue stream for its operations. This faith-based, community initiative operates entirely through volunteer and pro-bono professional services and provides families with life skills, job training and career counseling to encourage economic self-sufficiency for a better quality of life.
Last March, Caring for Others received a $7,000 grant from The Community Foundation’s Neighborhood Fund to support a family resource center. The center is designed to address the escalating senior population in the area, bringing together formerly isolated elder neighbors and providing them basic necessities to supplement their fixed incomes (e.g., food, clothing, personal hygiene items, money for prescriptions) and opportunities to develop a strong collective voice for advocacy. The goal for the center is to assist motivated seniors to strengthen their connections with each other, to meet their human needs and to join forces for richer lives in community engagement.
Based on its dedicated community involvement and organizational strength, the Neighborhood Fund recommended this group be awarded a grant, as well as receive community coaching. Staff suggested a two-pronged approach to community coaching that included advanced coalition building to support CFO’s public will agenda to create an organized voice for its community and a community economic development to support the growth of the “shopping center,” which provides clothing, furniture, books and other items.
One year after its grant award, Caring for Others has gained a greater knowledge of effective resource development. Specifically CFO increased its capacity through training of a volunteer to research grant opportunities via the Foundation Center database, as well as understand grant writing procedures. Research by that volunteers has yielded more than 20 grants for which CFO was eligible, and the organization was also able to identify a major sponsor for its family resource center. CFO also received a complete analysis of its finances and was given information about its current organizational sustainability. In addition, CFO was provided community coaching on its fundraising activities (specifically its Annual Gala event).
Lastly, Caring for Others was provided its first Senior Resource Guide, which involved research, layout, graphic design and marketing from the supplied community coach. This Senior Resource Guide assists underserved seniors in South Fulton County and provides them an opportunity to access comprehensive information about the organizations, government agencies and community groups that serve their needs.
No longer will seniors be forced to research the information in various books and internet sources. Now, resources related to their social, health, financial and basic and emergency needs will be at their fingertips; easy to read with large print, formatted and designed especially with seniors in mind. The guide has received overwhelmingly favorable feedback. In fact, adjacent neighborhoods have even learned of the resource guide and are eager to distribute it to their seniors.