Fall 2023 5 BUSINESS connections Atchison County RFD 2 Atchison, KS The Atchison County RFD 2 fights fires and offers other emergency assistance within its Rural Fire District. Fire Chief Adam Housh said, “We ran roughly 100 calls last year and serviced 150 to 350 citizens.” Consistent donations from the Gift of Giving help the Atchison County RFD 2 purchase neededequipment and supplies, and Housh is grateful for this monetary support. He’s also grateful for volunteers. “We host a holiday dinner for our 25 volunteers and their significant others in appreciation for the time they generously give,” said Housh. What can the community do to help the Atchison County RFD 2? He replied, “Please remember that emergency vehicles have the right of way when they’re running with lights and sirens, so pull over for them. Another thing that would help is to promote volunteering for local volunteer fire departments.” Atchison County Food Pantry Atchison, KS The numbers speak volumes for the Atchison County Food Pantry. It spends 98% of donations on food purchases and distributes around 7,000 lbs. of food each month to the Atchison community. The entirely volunteer staff contributes 350 volunteer hours each month. In 2022, the Atchison County Food Pantry served 3,000+ households with a total of 7,500 individuals. Co-Director David Gatewood said, “Our program continues to grow. At the current rate, we’ll serve close to 4,000 households and 9,000 individuals in 2023. Rainbow’s contributions from the Gift of Giving program have helped us pay our food purchase expenses for the past two years.” The community can contribute in other ways to help the Atchison County Food Pantry. Co-Director Lois Reid noted, “People who receive $250 cards from Thrivent every six months can donate them to us. These cards are a great help, as they can be applied directly to our grocery account at Alps or used at Walmart for food purchases. A second way to help is to initiate food drives at your local churches or other community organizations, including businesses.” Eleanor’s Food Pantry Elwood, KS Eleanor’s Food Pantry serves families and individuals in need throughout Doniphan County. Director Jadon LaRue is pleased that Eleanor’s Food Pantry will be a recipient of the Gift of Giving program in 2023. “This is our first year partnering with the Gift of Giving, and I’mexcited about the opportunity it offers,” said LaRue. During the Christmas season, Eleanor’s Food Pantry typically serves about 50 families. Of course, the need is there Each year, Rainbow’s Gift of Giving program donates money to Christmas bureaus, food pantries, and other nonprofits in the counties we serve. To give you an idea of what these dollars mean to the organizations who receive them, check out these examples. $ $ $ $ $ How Dollars Make a Difference Several Gift of Giving recipients share the impact of our program $ Continued on page 6.
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