Doug and Fran Cameron have a knack for finding out what people need and then delivering.
This may explain why their garage is filled with hand-me-downs.
Donations of children’s toys, books, winter coats, housewares, and bins of seasonal clothing have piled up in their east Cobb home.
“It’s stacked and stacked and starting to look like the Goodwill,” quipped Doug. “We had a gentleman come a few months ago with his entire SUV filled with his daughter’s clothing that she had outgrown.”
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
The items will find new homes with Cobb County families served through the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA Hunger Relief program.
Fran and other volunteers help set up free popup markets with commodities, fresh fruits and vegetables at four apartment communities each week. Fran has been helping for almost five years and has gotten to know the residents and their needs.
Other volunteers have been helping for at least as long and have all become close friends. As a group, they decided to do more for families in the apartments and began gathering items to give away during the market days. At first, nobody wanted to supervise the endeavor because of the vast amount of donations coming in.
“I foolishly volunteered to do that part,” said Fran, who could not have imagined how vast the project would grow.
“There’s a lot more need in our community than people are aware of, and I think there are a lot of people in the community who want to help meet needs,” she said. “We’re just the conduit to help that happen.”
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
The food program has become a vehicle to get to know your neighbor, said Gayle Battersby, who oversees the McCleskey hunger relief. Doug and Fran have hearts of gold, she said.
“They saw the need. They saw babies come out with no shoes on and no socks. No coats during the cold,” Battersby said.
“Initially, Fran said she was going to get them clothes, and now she’s turned her garage into a second-hand store, and she collects constantly.”
Fran recruited her husband’s help as they needed two cars to get the stuff out of the garage. Volunteers organize everything on tarps and let residents select what they want.
“It’s just snowballed in this community to bring hope and love,” Battersby said. “We get to know when someone’s having a baby, and we’ll start looking for strollers and diapers.”
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
The Camerons were recently recognized as “Difference Makers” by Gas South and the YMCA for their volunteer work.
Gas South supports the YMCA of Metro Atlanta and nine other nonprofits with annual financial and in-kind resources.
These “Fuel for Good” partners of Gas South were invited to nominate volunteers deserving of the title “Difference Makers” to coincide with the Oct. 26 “Make a Difference” day.
“We’re grateful to highlight Fran and Doug for their selfless service,” said Carley Stephens, Gas South manager of community affairs. “Stories like this show our ‘Fuel for Good’ donations are supporting the right people, and we love to see them recognized for their hard work.”
The Camerons are retired schoolteachers from Illinois who moved south a decade ago to assist with an aging parent. They are not YMCA members, and membership is not required to volunteer with the food program. Fran got involved at the invitation of a friend.
Fran said she enjoys connecting with the residents. “Seeing smiles when you can help people is pretty cool,” she said.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Earlier this year, someone donated a high-quality desktop computer, which perfectly met the needs of a mom with two daughters, one in college and one a high school junior.
The other volunteers are constantly on the lookout for requested items, too. One man enlists his entire neighborhood to clean out their closets once or twice a year and have the abundance sent to the Camerons’ garage.
The McCleskey-East Cobb YMCA Hunger Relief serves 750 Cobb families weekly, and once a month, that number increases to 950 families.
A staff of four and 55 volunteers oversee the drive-through distribution of grocery packs at three locations and popup grocery stores at four apartment complexes.
Most volunteers are retirees “looking for a way to give back and find purpose,” Battersby said. “They are helping us tremendously by giving us their time and resources.”
YMCA HUNGER RELIEF PROGRAM
Drive-through distribution of grocery packs are open to the public and hosted by McCleskey-East Cobb YMCA.
Tuesdays, 3-4:30 p.m., Brumby Elementary School, 815 Terrell Mill Rd, Marietta, GA 30067
Thursdays, 2:30-4 p.m., Green Acres Baptist Church, 591 Pat Mell Rd, Smyrna GA 30080
For more information: ymcaatlanta.org/impact/community-resources/hunger-relief
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