The 2022-23 Sewanee Community Chest (SCC) Fund Drive is underway. Sponsored by the Sewanee Civic Association, the SCC raises money yearly for local charitable organizations serving the area. This year’s goal of $106,425 will help 17 organizations that have requested basic needs funding for quality of life, community aid, children’s programs, and those who are beyond Sewanee but still serve our entire community.

This week, we shine the spotlight on the Community Action Committee.

The mission statement of the Community Action Committee (CAC) is to provide assistance for persons in crisis, to provide services related to basic human needs, to identify ways to break the cycles of poverty, and to present the love of Jesus Christ to the community.

The primary programs of CAC include a year-round food bank, open to anyone five days a week, and financial grants for those who might need assistance with utilities, medical/dental, housing, education, and/or transportation expenses.

The CAC, with help from the Sewanee Community Chest, also offers two innovative programs to address food insecurity. The CAC is requesting $5,000.

In partnership with Sewanee Dining Services, CAC manages the Kitchen2Table (K2T) program. Financial assistance from the Sewanee Community Chest helps with the supplies needed for bringing food from McClurg Dining Hall to CAC for repurposing. These unused portions of food are sorted, assembled, and sealed into trays as packaged meals for those in need. The meals are frozen for distribution. CAC is responsible for purchasing the trays and film used to seal the meals as well as the distribution. The K2T program averages 200 meals a week.

In partnership with Rooted Here, CAC manages the Farm2Table (F2T) program. Financial assistance from the Sewanee Community Chest helps with the cost of fresh produce that is purchased to compliment the staple dry goods provided in the CAC food pantry. Each week, fresh produce is delivered to the CAC. This produce is divvied up into bags and distributed. This program averages 25 full bags of fresh produce per week.

Since 1908, the goal of the Sewanee Community Chest has been to help citizens by funding the community. With Community Chest donations, local organizations provide for basic needs such as books, food, recreational spaces, elder care, children’s educational needs and more. The Sewanee Community Chest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible. Send your donation to Sewanee Community Chest, P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375. Payroll deductions and the PayPal Giving Fund are also options. Go to http://sewaneecivic.org/ for more information.