What's Happening Now at Outreach 
~ Coronavirus updates ~
Polk County COVID-19 Message Line
On March 24, Polk County launched a message line (828-722-5086) as a resource for community members who have questions about COVID-19 (coronavirus). This message line, in cooperation with community resource #211, will
  1. help guide callers who may be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms through a screening process with a registered nurse
  2. answer general questions about COVID-19
  3. provide community resources
The message line will be open Monday - Friday from 8:30am - 5:00pm.
In addition, please visit www. polknc.org for more information. To receive County COVID-19 updates, text COVID19 to 888777.
As always, if you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911.
Partnerships with local restaurants
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Through a generous grant awarded by the Polk County Community Foundation, Outreach is working with local restaurants to offer free meals for anyone facing difficult times. This coming week, we're teaming up Southside Smokehouse in Landrum, The Rural Seed Restaurant in Columbus and Green River Eddy's Grill at Saluda Outfitters in Saluda to offer assistance. All meals will be prepared for take out and must be picked up on the designated days and times. 
​Monday, 3/30
3-5pm: Southside Smokehouse and Grille (726 S. Howard Ave, Landrum) offering pulled pork sandwich with slaw & beans or fried chicken sandwich with fries

Wednesday, 4/1
3-5pm: The Rural Seed Restaurant (322 East Mills Street, Columbus) offering sloppy joe's with mixed vegetables or mixed greens salad with grilled chicken
Friday, 4/3
3-5pm: Green River Eddy's Grill at Saluda Outfitters (435 East Main Street, Saluda) offering hamburger & fries or chicken tenders with fries

Stay tuned to our Facebook page ("Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry") and website for additional meal giveaways next week!
Adjusted hours:
Until further notice, Outreach will be extending our afternoon shifts by 30 minutes each day and will no longer be open Friday mornings. Our adjusted hours are:
Monday - Thursday: 9AM - 12PM & 1PM - 4PM
Friday: closed
Outreach COVID-19 (coronavirus) Action Plan
Due to the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 (coronavirus), Outreach is taking precautions to protect the health and safety of our clients, volunteers, staff and partners. 
Effective Monday, 3/16/20, Outreach will close our lobby to clients and guests and will begin conducting all client interviews over the phone (828-894-2988). Clients who are requesting financial assistance will work with one of our specialists.  If clients are seeking food, Outreach staff and  
volunteers  will do the shopping and arrange for curbside pick up.
Polk County Schools are giving out breakfast and lunch each week day from 11am - 1pm at all four Polk County Elementary Schools (Tryon, Saluda, Polk Central, Sunny View). On Fridays, bags will be available for pick up to students who participate in our Feed-a-Kid program.
We are fully committed to supporting our clients and expect no interruption in the programs and services we provide. Our food pantry will continue to be fully stocked with food and our usual supplies. 
If you would like to help, you can donate directly to Outreach by clicking the green donate now button at the top of this page.
Please continue to check our Facebook page and website for further information and updates.
To stay up to date on the latest information and recommendations from the CDC, click this link - Centers for Disease Control.
Kindness Rocks!
February is Kindness Month at Tryon Elementary School (TES). Throughout the entire month, students are working on activities to spread kindness. Kindness Month kicked off with a 2 week canned food drive to benefit Outreach. TES students collected over 2,300 canned and dried food items, adding up to 2,107 pounds of food for the Outreach food pantry! Thank you TES students & families, Guidance Counselor, Tamara Black and the entire faculty and staff for this very generous donation - we are overwhelmed and grateful!
Souper Bowl of Caring
Thank you to everyone who participated in Polk County's 2020 Souper Bowl of Caring - we are grateful for each food item donated to Outreach. This year, the following organizations donated over 1,023 pounds of food:
  • Bethlehem UMC  / Stoney Knoll CME - 187 pounds
  • Green Creek Pickle Ball - 14.8 pounds
  • St. Lukes CME - 51.2 pounds
  • Anonymous - 23.4  pounds
  • Saluda Elementary School - 74 pounds
  • Pea Ridge Baptist Church - 116.6 pounds
  • Tryon Presbyterian Church - 251.6 pounds
  • Grace Foothills Church - 38.4 pounds
  • Good Shepherd Church - 67.8 pounds
  • St. John the Baptist Catholic Church - 49.2 pounds
  • Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, Saluda - 31.6 pounds
  • Silver Creek Baptist Church - 105.2 pounds
  • Tryon United Methodist Church - 12.4 pounds

The Souper Bowl of Caring is a nationwide movement that started in 1990 to mobilize people to use Super Bowl Sunday as an opportunity to take action in the fight against hunger. This year we're celebrating the 30th anniversary of this grassroots movement!
As part of the Souper Bowl of Caring movement, our local community donates hundreds, possibly thousands, of cans of soup (many with dollar bills attached by a rubber band) to Outreach's food pantry during the week following Super Bowl Sunday. This food drive comes at an important time of the year for Outreach, a quiet time for donations, but when cans of soup, chili and other warm meals are needed and particularly appreciated by our clients.

All food donations are going directly to Polk County residents in need who shop in our food pantry.
To learn more about the Souper Bowl of Caring movement, client the link below to view a short informational video -
What is Souper Bowl of Caring?
Cool Kids Alert!
Thank you Polk County Schools for your kind and generous support of Outreach recently -
Polk County High School's Interact Club donated 542 pounds of food
Polk Central Elementary School
doubled their goal & donated 1,153 pounds of food during their fall food drive
Polk County Middle School donated 408 pounds of food during their Kindness Month initiative
These local elementary school kids raised money, bought supplies and assembled each container to make birthday boxes for the children of families who shop in Outreach's food pantry. Everything you need to throw a birthday party is in this box! "Every kid should have a birthday party!" they said.
Trail Life Group from Midway Baptist Church collected and donated 267 pounds of food for Outreach's food pantry.
It takes a village ...
At Outreach, we assist over 7900 Polk County neighbors each year with food, financial assistance (rent & mortgage, utilities, medical and dental) and special programs for children (Feed a Kid, School Supplies and Holiday) and veterans.  Without the help of our generous community, we could not provide this level of assistance to those in need. We're all in this together and at Outreach, we're grateful for all you do to help. Thank you!
Cooper Riis Greenhouse Crew Leader, Ines Wullimann, brought beautiful poinsettias to Outreach, grown by Cooper Riis residents. These plants were given to Outreach clients when they shopped in the food pantry.
The Knights of Columbus donated proceeds from their annual Golf Tournament fundraiser to Outreach's food pantry.
Foothills Wellness Center donated 4 large boxes of toys and made a financial contribution to help with Outreach's Holiday Gift Distribution.
8th Annual Tryon Rolling Art 
event donated 822lbs of food 
The NC Woodmen Life Chapter
donated 142lbs of food
Volunteers from the Congregational Church split wood for clients this fall
Recent Grant Awards
Outreach extends heartfelt thanks to The Cannon Foundation for the recent "Human Services" grant award to be used to complete important updates to our building.  Check out our 2019 Renovation page for the details of this project and to track our progress. 
We are grateful to The Cannon Foundation for investing in Thermal Belt Outreach!

Thank you Polk County Community Foundation for awarding Outreach a "Seasonal Assistance and Cheer" grant. Thanks to this grant, Outreach was able to purchase Thanksgiving meal gift cards and gifts for children on our angel tree. 
Thank you PCCF for your generous and continued support of Outreach programs and services!
Hours of Operation
Monday - Thursday:
9:00AM - 12:00PM
1:00 - 4:00PM
Friday:
Closed
Saturday & Sunday:
Closed
​
Upcoming Events
3/30 (3-5PM): meal pick up at Southside Smokehouse (Landrum)
4/1 (3-5PM): meal pick up at The Rural Seed Restaurant (Columbus)
4/3 (3-5PM): meal pick up at Green River Eddy's Grill @ Saluda Outfitters
10/3 (4-7PM): SAVE the DATE Empty Bowls at Parker Binns Vineyard
11/14: Tryon Half Marathon at Harmon Field
Monthly Wish List
  • Food Focus: canned soup, cereal
  • Non-Food Focus:  hand sanitizer (small bottles), facial tissue
Newsletter

​Annual Report
Did you know.... Outreach now has a texting service to communicate with our clients? This service is used to send important Outreach news and updates on programs and special events. It's simple to register - text 21000, type Outreach in the message and press send.
​Check out our video about how Thermal Belt Outreach has changed the lives of many and touched the hearts of our community. ​
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​​Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry
134 White Drive
P.O. Box 834
Columbus, NC 28722
828.894.2988