The Quinn House in Lawrenceville faces the same challenges that many nonprofits aimed at offering assistance to disadvantaged members of the community have to deal with.
There is a year-round need for some of the services provided at the Quinn House, requiring year-round support from the community, but those needs are highlighted as the holidays approach.
“This time of year tends to be when more people pay attention,” Quinn House Food Pantry Manager Pete Kruck said. “They don’t call it the ‘Time of Giving’ for nothing ... More people acknowledge the need at this time of year.”
There are two programs at the Quinn House in particular that officials with the nonprofit are issuing a call for support for: its food pantry and its Christmas For Kids program. Both programs need community sponsors and donations to be successful.
The Quinn House is a restoration ministry that offers different programs to help members of the community who need assistance in different ways. It has been serving the Gwinnett community for nearly 30 years.
There is a men’s shelter with Bible study and other ministerial programs for people who are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction, as well as the food pantry for the broader community, at the nonprofit’s facility located at 555 Hurricane Shoals Road. There is also a thrift store that is located at 219 Scenic Highway as way to raise funds to support Quinn House programs.
Food for those who need it
The food pantry is one area that highlights services that the Quinn House provides to the community.
The pantry, which is a member of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, distributed nearly 1 million pounds of food last year to families and individuals who needed assistance. It’s expected to surpass that number this year — it’s already at about 900,000 pounds of food distributed in 2019.
“Gwinnett County has a huge need for food assistance,” Kruck said.
People who rely on the pantry are allowed to come by once every 60 days to pick up food, and they get plenty when they show up.
Kruck said a cart full of food is assembled for each person who comes by for assistance. Since people who receive assistance have to wait so long between visits to the pantry, they get about six different types of fruits and vegetables, granola bars, cereals, two types of meats, nonperishable snacks, desserts and toiletry items that are loaded into their vehicles.
As donations increase, the pantry can provide a greater abundance of food to the people who rely on its assistance, but Quinn House officials don’t deny the need is greater than they are able to handle.
“We could probably help two to three times the amount the people if we had the resources,” Quinn House Director Greg Heller said. “There are many more people that don’t get on the list every day that we’d like to be able to help.”
But more abundance requires a steady demand for donations of food and other nonperishable items, from canned items to laundry detergent. There are virtually no donated items that aren’t needed or can’t be used by recipients of the Quinn House’s assistance, according to Kruck.
“Groceries (are needed),” he said. “There’s (no single item) in particular I can say we need because whatever we get, we give out.”
To qualify for the program, a person must have a Gwinnett County address and and contact the Quinn House in advance to sign up for assistance. Food is distributed three days a week and up to 10 families or individuals can come each day. Ninety-eight percent of the assistance handed out during the week is given to families of up to six people, according to Kruck.
Food handed out by the pantry Food is distributed between 1 and 3 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays while sign ups are done over the phone from 9 a.m. until noon. on those days.
“You have to call first, it’s not just ‘show up and we’ll give you a food box.’ “ Heller said.
There is also a program offered through the pantry to provide food to seniors. Kruck said the program is currently serving about 125 seniors, ages 62 and up, per month, with the elderly receiving their food on the last Wednesday of the month.
And, with holidays bringing days, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, where big meals are part of the holiday traditions, the pantry will be providing needy residents with special food baskets and grocery store gift cards. Despite the corporate donations, Quinn House officials said the demand is so great that donations from residents and community groups are needed as well.
“It seems like we have more people interested in getting a particular holiday box, but we have so much need all year round,” Kruck said. “It’s staggering.”
Kruck said the pantry could “absolutely” use donations of turkeys for the holiday gift boxes, but canned food and non-perishable items are also welcome.
One thing that the Quinn House sees as being particularly helpful, however, are gift cards. They can be given to families to let them do shopping for holiday meals.
“It allows the families to pick out what they want for their meal,” Kruck said. “Not everybody is a turkey and mashed potatoes and stuffing kind of family.”
Food donations are accepted at the Quinn House’s pantry at the Hurricane Shoals location in Lawrenceville. Anyone interested in making a donation can call 770-962-0470. Donations are accepted from 9 a.m. until noon. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Providing a Christmas for underpriviledged children and seniors in need
While the food pantry is a year-round operation, the Christmas for Kids program is more holiday-specific, but it also requires big support from the community.
It’s an Angel Tree-type program where members of the community are asked to sponsor a child for Christmas, buying and donating gifts to ensure the youths have presents to open Christmas morning.
“We do need sponsors,” said Pat Smokes, who oversees the program. “We did it for over 2,000 children last year, as well as needy families and seniors.”
Parents in families that are struggling financially can call a special Christmas phone number at the Quinn House to sign up their children for the program. Officials at the nonprofit will interview the parents during the call and each child will be eligible to receive three gifts, worth up to $30, for Christmas.
People who call the Quinn House to sign up to sponsor one or more children will bring the gifts to the nonprofit, which will in turn hand them over to the parents.
“(The parents give the gifts) to the children as Santa Claus,” Smokes said.
The Quinn House asks that gifts which are donated be new and unwrapped so they can ensure they are appropriate for children.
“We can take all of the dolls anyone can give us or any remote-controlled vehicles,” Smokes said.
In addition to providing Christmas presents for children, the Quinn House also delivers donated presents to about two dozen senior citizens who live in Lawrenceville, also creating a need for community support.
Community members can drop off toy and other gift donations as well at The Quinn House location on Hurricane Shoals Road, but the nonprofit will also have more than 40 Angel Trees set up at Krogers, Chick-fil-As and doctor’s offices around Gwinnett County. Once the exact locations are finalized, they will be listed at www.thequinnhouse.com.
While there is a big demand for gifts through the Christmas For Kids program, the number of children helped by it each year, like the assistance provided through the food pantry, will be determined by the number of community members who are willing to support the program.
“I’ll register as many people as I have sponsors for,” Smokes said. “If I get more sponsors, I register more children usually up to three days before Christmas. We’ll still take them as long as we have sponsors.”
Anyone who who would like to donate to the gift program can call Smokes at the Quinn House Thrift Store at 770-962-7702.
