Rockdale Emergency Relief (RER) is celebrating their 50th year serving the needs of citizens in our community to establish food security, utility assistance, and some housing needs. Additionally, RER is the lead agency in Rockdale for many of the initiatives to help find long-term solutions to financial stability and success.
RER takes another step forward in faith every month – trusting that the community will continue to support and sustain our mission of helping neighbors help neighbors. Donors and volunteers provide the oil that keeps RER’s lamp burning bright. Through the years, many think of RER as the place for canned food items, or clothing donations for the clothes closet but they are so much more. In order to keep providing for those in need, they must have financial donations that meet the needs of our demand.
Thanks to their dedicated staff of Irene Moore, Susan Clark, and Michael Franklin, they stretch every dollar as far as possible. They have an active board that includes JaNice Van Ness – Chair, Cari Trueblood – Vice Chair, Jason Korzan – Treasurer, Ora Bailey – Secretary, Anitra Griffin, Jeanna Dawson, Shivern Jeter, Jason Witcher, Katy Greer, and Tonya Parker.
Because of the support of generous local residents, congregations and businesses, RER has been able to provide food, clothing, financial assistance, holiday gifts, and summer lunches to over 4,000 unduplicated individuals in the 2015-2016 program year! They hosted partner organizations like Georgia Legal Services and the Bobby Dodd Institute, offering specialized legal and life-skills services to the community. They also extended their commitment to help combat the growing problem of childhood hunger in the County, both by partnering with the weekend feeding program “Shelley’s Kids” and by expanding our existing Summer Lunch collaboration, “Be Bright, Eat Right Rockdale!” Working hand-in-hand with the United Way and the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, they partnered to support and advance their innovative local “Rockdale Re-Entry Prevention & Intervention Program” or RRIPP.
2017 is busier than ever and they need help raising funds to serve people in our community. The great thing about RER is that each person must go through a process of registering with the office and providing documentation of residency in order to receive services. This ensures that each dollar is used efficiently without duplicating services and people can only receive help every 3 months with the goal of independence being a key focus for the agency.
RER could not exist without the local support of congregations and supporters like First United Methodist Church in Conyers, the Conyers Lions Club, the Life Sunday school class at First Baptist Church, the Father’s House, Snapping Shoals EMC, the Hospital Authority, Publix, and Gethsemane Baptist Church – just to name a few.
RER is an independent GA 501 c3 not-for-profit organization and not an entity of county or state government. As a charitable institution, they depend on the community’s financial contributions to keep their doors open. They are asking the community that if they have been a financial donor in the past, are currently a financial supporter, volunteer, or in-kind donor, please help spread the news of the good work that is being done and remind people of the financial need to help others.
RER is located at 350 Tall Oaks Drive in Conyers and the hours of service for new clients are 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Office hours are 8 a.m to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. They need your financial support to keep our lamp burning!
A fundraising event is being planned for our 50th anniversary celebration and they are looking for corporate sponsors, donors, and volunteers to plan the event that will celebrate 50 years of hard work to make a difference in peoples lives. Donations may be mailed to the office or made online at rockdaleemergencyrelief.org. They thank you in advance for your support.
