Calhoun County keeping children warm this winter; Comforters for Kids continues

The director of the Calhoun County Department of Social Services beams with delight when she talks about how the community is helping the agency provide warmth and comfort for needy children through its Comforters for Kids initiative.

Calhoun County DSS is collecting blankets and comforters, along with bedding bags, for Calhoun County residents whose children are in need of them.

The Comforters for Kids initiative is being coordinated with the help of the community, including, but not limited to, nonprofit organizations, churches, Greek organizations, companies and DSS staff.

“I came here a little over a year ago. I just realized that the community wants to help. They want to make sure that families in this community are served well and that they’re thriving,” Calhoun County DSS Director Theresa G. Spellman said.

A walk-thru distribution of the items will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, or until supplies run out, on Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Calhoun County DSS building at 2831 Old Belleville Road in St. Matthews. Proof of residency must be shown and children must be present.

Spellman said this is the second year the event has been held.

“Last year it was set up as a drive-thru distribution, but it ended up being a walk-thru because we allowed them to come into the lobby one family at a time. I think that they appreciate it more.

“The kids took as long as they wanted to take. They ran from table to table just choosing what they wanted. It’ll be set up the same way this year,” she said.

The nonprofit Calhoun County Cares is among the partners who have donated to the initiative.

“We’ve had a longstanding, very cooperative relationship with DSS. From time to time, they come up with initiatives that we’re glad to support,” Calhoun Cares board Chairman Ken Westbury said.

“When cold weather comes, people need things. We are a faith-based interdenominational charity. People donate to us, and we have a very nice thrift store that we opened. We’re able to give back $60,000 to $70,000 a year to the community,” he said.

Calhoun Cares has donated more than $1,200 to the Comforter for Kids initiative since it began.

“It’s been a real good working relationship. I certainly appreciate the job that they’re doing. I certainly am pleased to have them working and being a part of an organization that helps them out in doing that,” said Westbury, a former superintendent of the Calhoun County Public Schools.

Barbara Amaker is president of the Women’s Missionary Society at Prodigal A.M.E. Church, which has donated comforters to the Comforters for Kids initiative since it began.

“It’s a very good program. We’re very excited about doing it. It’s always good to help the less fortunate, especially when it comes from the county that I grew up in,” Amaker said.

She continued, “We’re just glad that we can do it and partner with them. Our congregation has been fantastic. Even with coming out of COVID, everybody was participating and glad to do it.”

Amaker said the church’s Young People Department, or YPD, will be holding a toy drive to add toys to the comforters this year.

“We’ll be adding a little extra to it,” she said.

Pegasus Home Fashions in Denmark, which provided 300 pillows last year, will be donating hundreds of pillows to the effort again this year.

“We’ll be donating upwards of 500 pillows to assist with the Comforters for Kids program. This will be our second year contributing. We want to try to be as big of a help to the community as we can,” said Denise Robinson, human resource manager at Pegasus Home Fashions.

Spellman said she is appreciative of everyone who donates to the effort, including the Beta Club of the St. Matthews K-8 School, a new partner.

“They’re excited about it. We have a few churches that have come in. They’re just generous in their giving. I just really appreciate what they’re doing,” she said.

Monetary donations are also welcome for the purchase of additional comforters, blankets and bedding bags. They can be made to the Calhoun County Department of Social Services.

For more information, contact Kimberly Glover, human service supervisor at Calhoun County DSS, at 803-813-1476.