Newsletter

Brunswick Family Assistance Agency, Inc.

Third Quarter, 2017

Hello employees, volunteers and friends of BFA!

WOW! It is hard to believe that we are already approaching the last few months of 2017! The third quarter was very busy for BFA. It is our hope that this newsletter will provide you with some informative and valuable information about our most recent activities and accomplishments. If there is a program or subject that you would like to know more about please let us know!

Program Updates:

• Christmas in July Book Bag Program
  • This year, BFA’s annual Christmas in July program provided 388 Brunswick County children (grades K-8) with a book bag filled with all of the requisite school supplies, an outfit of clothing and a brand new pair of shoes. We believe that providing the students with everything that they need, including the confidence of walking into school on day one with a new outfit and shoes, sets the tone for a productive and successful school year.

THANK YOU to everyone that sponsored tags, made monetary donations and/or volunteered your time to make this year’s program a success.

Below is a story of how impactful your gift can be:

A mom and her young son (maybe 3^rd grade) arrived at BFA to pick up book bags for the family’s three school aged children. After receiving the book bags and seeing the new pair of shoes, the young boy said “are these for me?” When assured that they were, his eyes became clouded with tears and he said “this is the first time I have ever had a brand new pair of shoes.”

This is the difference that you help us make in the lives of our neighbors in need and we cannot thank you enough!!

Donor Spotlight

THANK YOU:

Ocean Isle Beach 2^nd helpings program for the 9,843 pounds of food that they donated this summer to our emergency food pantry. The visibility and awareness generated through this program also enabled us to secure a $2,500 donation!

Brunswick Community Foundation for granting us $1,000 to help purchase food for our food pantry.

Thank you to the following municipal entities for their ongoing support:

• Town of Oak island
• Town of Holden Beach
• Town of Bellville
• City of Southport
• Ocean Isle Beach

Finally, thank you to ALL of our Faith-Based partners (Calabash Presbyterian, Shallotte Presbyterian, Holden Beach Chapel, Trinity United Methodist, Sacred Heart Catholic, Camp United Methodist and Ocean View United Methodist) for their continued support and generosity.

We truly appreciate and value each and every one of our donors! Thanks to you, our balance sheet remains solid and sufficient for our foreseeable needs. THANK YOU!

Volunteer Spotlight

Unfortunately, this month we lost two of our dear volunteers:

Mr. Bruce Esau, 69, died on Sept. 16^th after what proved to be a very brief battle with cancer. Bruce has been a part of the BFA family since 2001.  He worked as an intake worker for 8 years before retiring then selflessly volunteered his time each week to help with our gleaning program. With every visit, Bruce would leave us all laughing and in good spirits, his smile and lovable personality contagious to everyone he encountered.

Mr. Denny Marcin, 75, passed away after struggling with pulmonary fibrosis for several years. Denny was a former board member of BFA and was active with our quarterly commodities distributions and the 2015 golf tournament. In addition to serving on the BFA Board, Denny was active with Meals on Wheels, the Southport-Oak Island Kiwanis Club and Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Denny’s kind heart and willingness to lend a helping hand made him an invaluable asset to our community.

We will all miss Bruce and Denny but will be forever grateful for all of the years of service and friendship they gave to BFA. 

UPCOMING EVENTS & FUNDRASING EFFORTS:

• Annual Appeal Mailing: Annual Appeal brochures will be mailed the first week in October. This fundraiser is a lifeline to BFA’s financial health. We depend heavily on the funds it generates and we would greatly appreciate your support in making it successful.
• Golf Outing: October 9, 2017 at Lockwood Folly
• Valentine’s Day Gala: February 17, 2018 Leland Cultural Arts Center.
• Annual Christmas Program: We are currently accepting applications for our annual Christmas program and need your help in sponsoring “angel tags.”

For more information on any of our programs/upcoming events, please call our office at (910) 754-4766.

Again, THANK YOU, to all of our donors, volunteers and staff. BFA is very fortunate to have such a strong following of people who support the pursuit of our mission.

Stephanie Bowen, Executive Director