What's Happening Now at Outreach 
Flood and Mud Slide Disaster Assistance
Three primary organizations have been identified to assist Polk County residents with disaster recovery from the recent flooding.  If you need assistance or wish to donate to the relief efforts, please contact the following:
Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry will assist low income residents of Polk County with food, financial assistance and home repair. For more information about Outreach or to donate, please visit www.tboutreach.org.
North Carolina Baptist Men are assisting homeowners with cleaning up their homes and properties. For more information about the NC Baptist Men or to donate, please visit www.ncbaptist.org.
The WNC Chapter of the American Red Cross Serving Polk County is helping provide immediate disaster relief and ongoing recovery assistance to victims of the recent storms. They are providing food, water, clean-up supplies, financial assistance and shelter. Please visit www.redcross.org to learn more or to donate.
Thank you Parsec Financial .....
Parsec Financial recently awarded Outreach a Parsec Prize for 2018. Outreach will receive $15,000 to serve Polk County children through our Feed-a-Kid program.
The Feed-a-Kid program provides an average of 230 Polk County students with a weekend bag of food each week during the school year. This grant will help provide more than 3,300 food backpacks for food insecure children in Polk County. The goal of the Feed-a-Kid program is to decrease food insecurity over the weekend when these children may not have adequate access to food.
We are grateful to Michael Baughman and his Parsec Financial team for awarding Outreach this generous grant!
Empty Bowls update - 
Thank you Polk County Postal Workers
This year's Stamp Out Hunger food drive was a great success - 3,023 pounds of food were collected by Polk County Mail Carriers on May 12! 

2,420 pounds of food were collected in Tryon; Columbus gathered 453 pounds and 150 pounds came in from Saluda.
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Thank you to all Polk County residents who participated and left food at your mailbox and to our Polk County Post Offices and Mail Carriers for collecting the food and sponsoring this wonderful event - we are grateful!
Annual Volunteer Appreciation Lunch 
Outreach celebrated our wonderful, dedicated volunteers at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Lunch on Friday May 4. Organized by Volunteer Coordinator Barb Powell, everyone was treated to festive picnic themed meal followed by several rounds of Bingo. We missed all who weren't able to attend this year!
Volunteering is FUN - come join the team at Outreach!
Volunteering at Outreach is both fun and rewarding and we're looking for Volunteers to fill important jobs:
  • Pantry volunteers​ assist clients and help them shop and stock pantry shelves with food and non-perishables.  Shift times especially needed are: Mondays, 9am - 12:30pm; 12:30 - 4:00pm; Tuesdays, 12:30 - 4:00pm; Wednesdays, 9am - 12:30pm; Thursdays, 12:30 - 4:00pm.
  • Intake volunteers interview (potential) clients at Outreach. Shift times especially needed are: Mondays, 8:45am - 12:30pm & Wednesdays, 8:45am - 12:30pm.
  • Fill-in volunteers are needed to assist, on short notice, with various jobs in the pantry, such as stocking shelves, feed-a-kid, and shopping assistance. 
  • Volunteers​ are needed to chop wood at the monthly, 2nd Saturday firewood splitting.  This is a great opportunity for churches and youth groups to get involved at Outreach.
For more information, please complete & submit the Volunteer Sign-up Form or contact Volunteer Coordinator, Barb Powell - barb.powell@tboutreach.org or 828-894-2988.
Upcoming Events
  • ​7/21: Make a Bowl for Empty Bowls, TACS​​
  • 8/4: School Supplies Distribution, PCMS
  • 10/6: Empty Bowls Fundraiser, Parker-Binns Vineyard
Monthly Wish List
  • Food Focus: cooking oil, flour, cornmeal, soups, rice and beans
  • Non-Food Focus:  fans, toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, paper towels
Newsletter

​Annual Report
Did you know.... Outreach now has a texting service to communicate with our clients? This service will be 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