Area 937 Community Outreach in Hillsboro will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a ribbon cutting by the Highland County Chamber of Commerce Monday, May 20 at 3 p.m. at the organization’s warehouse at 8387 S.R. 73.
“At this stage, we want to recognize the supporters, and that’s why I want to try to make a big deal out of it,” said Chuck Aurigema, the Area 937 Community Outreach president and executive director.
The organization provides at-risk families in Highland and surrounding counties with food and clothing.
“We have about 37 volunteers now, and we’re looking to expand and get a few more volunteers so we can open up another day because we are just about to capacity for clients,” said Aurigema.
He said the organization serves between 36 and 38 families each month. “They come in once a month, and they get usually 30 to 50 pounds of items depending on the size of their family, and we do clothing as well,” he said. “We want to open another day so we can take on another 15 families.”
Anyone looking for assistance or interested in volunteering can visit the Area 937 website at www.937.org.
“Each month we provide them with food,” said Aurigema. “Usually it’s something they can put a meal together with after they go to the pantry and they pick out what they need and what they use.”
Drop offs for non-perishable food items to support the organization are located at the Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene, Peoples Bank in Hillsboro, First State Bank in Hillsboro and Hillsboro Church of Christ.
Aurigema said the religious-charitable nonprofit organization relies on business partners and volunteers to continue with its services. He said Bob Evans in Hillsboro has donated their biscuits and buns each week for more than 14 years.
He said the Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene supports Area 937 with non-perishable items weekly, and the Hillsboro Church of Christ has individuals who have funded the group’s case food purchase program for more than 14 years.
He said Good News Gathering has supported the organization with food drives and has contributed to operational costs, and that Southside Praise and Worship has conducted food drives for the program.
He said National Cooperative Bank in Hillsboro has awarded Area 937 with grants and sent employee volunteers to assist the charity.
The kindergarten classes at Hillsboro City Schools have an annual food drive for Area 937 that has averaged more than 2,000 non-perishable items for the past four to five years.
Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.
