A YEAR IN REVIEW—2024
337—Area students are currently enrolled to receive weekly packs.
What an extraordinary year of community impact and generosity! Throughout 2024, Generous Hands continued its vital mission of serving families and students across our area, touching hundreds of lives through collaborative partnerships and the dedication of countless volunteers.
From ensuring students had nutritious meals through our weekly food packs to providing essential school supplies and creating joyful memories at our annual Holiday Party, this year showcased the power of community coming together. Whether it was helping families access fresh produce at the farmers' market, putting new shoes on children's feet for the first day of school, or coordinating with local organizations to maximize our reach, every number below represents real people whose lives were made brighter.
The following statistics tell the story of a community that refuses to let anyone go without—a testament to the generous hearts that make this work possible and the lasting impact we can achieve when we work together.
150—Families applied to obtain monthly Family Fare vouchers to purchase bread, eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables, meat and cheese.
112—Families received $5 in coupons per child per week to shop at the 2024 Vicksburg Farmers’ Market from mid-May through September for fruit, vegetables, meat and cheese.
233—Elementary, middle and high school students received backpacks, school supplies, earbuds/earphones, hygiene items and snacks during and after the Back to School Bonanza in August-a joint effort of Generous Hands and South County Community Services.
116—Students at Sunset Lake, Tobey and Indian Lake elementary schools received a pair of athletic shoes from the First Day Shoe Fund organization, sponsored by Generous Hands.
181—Individuals (114 children) attended the December Holiday Party, held at the Vicksburg United Methodist Church, enjoying a pancake breakfast, a visit with Santa, gingerbread house decorating, a craft project and snack bag from Meijer, shopping for toys (some donated by Dollar General of Vicksburg) and choosing books (many donated by local Gilbert and Ivy bookstore and others). This was a joint effort by South County Community Services and Generous Hands.
43—Individuals were honored with memorial donations.
202—Volunteers shopped for, packed, distributed on site or delivered food to homes/blessing boxes, stocked shelves/bins, wrote thank you notes and worked after-hour events (Back to School Bonanza, Annual Community Schools Tailgate, Transportation Safety Carnival, Harvest Festival, Iceburg Festival and Christmas Party) in 2024.
17,864.2#—Food donations
1880.19#—Non-food donations