Greater Works reaching out for 17 years [The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.]

Dec. 18--Even though she lives in a tent, Lynn Harradan doesn't consider herself homeless.

"I've got walls and a roof over my head," she said of her fabric abode while volunteering at Greater Works Ministries last week. "I lived in a trailer but the landlord wouldn't fix anything and I couldn't afford it. (Ministry director) Robert (Hill) gave me some lights and a tent. I can shower here, wash my clothes here.

"I help them to pay them back for helping me -- life would be miserable if I didn't have this place to come to."

Among its array of free services, Hill said Greater Works operates a "client's choice" food pantry where quantity is determined by family size and income. The food does include some perishable items, and clients can choose from a range of toiletries and over-the-counter medications.

"We're one of the few ministries to give out personal care items," he said. "These are things you and I typically take for granted."

Clients can come once every 90 days for food from the pantry, and can also get two complete outfits every 90 days from the clothes outlet. The ministry gets so many donations of clothes it sends the "overabundance" to an economically hard-hit town in West Virginia and also to the Teen Challenge ministry in Chattanooga.

"We don't take anything to the landfill," Hill said. "All the clothing is recycled."

Clients -- many times the homeless in south Dalton -- can also get haircuts on Tuesday in the facility's salon, take showers on certain days, and do laundry on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Homeless folks are also provided with tents, sleeping bags and cold-weather gear when available.

"If God provides we're able to," Hill qualified. "Everything is free. We don't believe in asking folks in need to pay us. We just depend on God to supply our need."

Now in its 17th year, Greater Works depends on area church congregations and grants to fuel its $100,000 a year budget, which does not include payroll since all work is done by volunteers.

"Support comes from a lot of individuals, and churches like First Presbyterian (of Dalton), Rock Bridge (Community Church) and Cherokee Valley Baptist Church, which continued to send us donations even after the tornado went through the valley up there (northeast of Ringgold)," said Hill, who also serves as the chair of the board of directors. "We got a local community grant from Wells Fargo (bank), some funds through the federal food assistance program through United Way, and a $1,000 grant from a group in Moultrie that we didn't even apply for.

"We pay insurance, rent and utilities on the building. The rest goes back into the ministry. No salaries."

'Decency and respect'

Emily Cooper, who handles financials for the board, said the ministry's success can be traced to the dignity shown to clients.

"We treat everyone who comes to the ministry with decency and respect," she said. "We just find out what their needs are and get those needs met."

Cooper said funding for the ministry is "always a struggle."

"But what you find is that the things you need, you have -- you always have what you need," she elaborated. "You just don't always have the extra that you'd like to have ... we always want to give (clients) more than we can give them."

Erwin Lankford concurred with Cooper's assessment.

"We treat them like people and don't look down on them," he said. "When they come in and need something we try to get it for them, and if they come in with a heavy heart -- having a hard time that week -- we try to talk with them. All of our staff and volunteers see them as regular people."

Lankford said it doesn't hurt to have "great volunteer cooks." He added that churches and individuals continue to give support through food donations and funding, but in the last year he's noticed a shift in the clients seeking services.

"We are getting more people with children," he said. "For quite a few years it was just street people and a few children. Many of our people have a place to live, they just don't make enough to supplement their income."

Hill, who took a break to field a call and promise a woman help with a medical prescription, was asked what he did before he became involved in ministry.

"I had a lot more time," he laughed, then related he's been in sales in the carpet industry, and more recently, remodeling and new construction.

His ministry partner and wife, Darlene, owns Simply Delightful on Dug Gap Road and volunteers on Mondays when her shop is closed.

Cooper said local benevolence -- and another source -- make her marvel.

"I attribute it to God and a great community," she said. "We have a very giving community in Dalton. I've studied other places like Michigan and things like that, but Dalton is amazing."

Helping do the 'greater work'

Greater Works Ministries accepts donations of food, clothing, toiletries, sleeping bags, tents and blankets. The ministry serves free meals on Sundays from 7 to 10 a.m., Tuesdays from 5 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m., and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon. The address is 1001 S. Thornton Ave., next to Retro Bowl.

Tax-deductible donations may be mailed to Greater Works Ministries, P.O. Box 6, Dalton GA 30722-0006. The phone number is (706) 270-2239, or a message can be sent by email to [email protected]. The website is www.greaterworksdalton.org.

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