ADEL, Ga. (WALB) – As temperatures drop across South Georgia, local organizations are stepping up to keep their neighbors fed and warm.

Communities are teaming together to host food and clothing drives, providing critical support for families in need.

The drive, organized by We Run Adel, Soulful Steps, and Adel Main Street, offers a drive-thru food and clothing distribution for local families in need. Organizers are collecting items such as ham or turkey sandwich meat, bread, chips, cookies, fruit cups, juice, sandwich bags, warm clothing, and blankets.

According to Feeding America, more than 1.6 million people in Georgia are food insecure. In Cook County alone, 17.8% of the population — an estimated 3,000 individuals struggle to access enough food. It’s a need Adel Main Street Director Dana David says she’s witnessing firsthand and one she expects to grow as temperatures continue to drop.

“Well, as we see right now, it’s going to be a cold winter. For the past few days, we were expecting a colder winter, and with our elderly population and the kids. They need jackets, clothing and food,” David said.

Organizers say they serve more than 200 people each time, and that number continues to grow. They plan to hold two to three drives each month through the winter to meet the rising demand.

“It’s a critical need for food right now,” David added. “As you saw earlier, we started with about 260 people today, and in just a short amount of time — like two and a half hours — this is a vast need in our area.”

Soulful Steps owner Sherry Turner, who is also part of the Adel Run Group, says the mission goes beyond food; it’s about compassion.

“We stand together, one band, one sound,” Turner said. “So we’re trying to do this to show the community we care. We care about what happens in our own town and the surrounding areas.”

“We see the need rising every week. People aren’t just hungry — they’re trying to stay warm, and that’s why we’re doing this as often as we can," she added.

Organizers say community support goes far beyond donations. They’re also asking for volunteers to help, like Jay Funderburke, who’s already signed up for the next drive.

“We just felt like we should give back to the community and to people who don’t have as much as we do, and help them out,” Funderburke said.

Continued partnerships are key to keeping this effort going, as organizers step up to support their neighbors through the changing seasons.

“It’s very, very important for our community — not even with the SNAP benefits being reinstated, but the community just needs this stuff,” David said. “As we approach the holidays, they need this stuff.”

Non-perishable food items can be dropped off at the Downtown Development Center on Hutchinson Avenue in Adel, and monetary donations can be made through Cash App, Zelle, Venmo, or Apple Pay to Sherry Turner at (229) 507-2585.

On East 5th Street, the community food drive-through will be hosted on Nov. 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., giving everyone in Adel a chance to come together and provide food and warmth for those in need.

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