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| The Enon Emergency Relief held its 1st meeting on 3
February 1962 with representatives from the Methodist and
Congregational (Knob Prairie) churches, the Fire Bells, the Lions,
the Firemen’s Association, the VFW, Lioness, the VFW Auxiliary and
the Village of Enon (the Mayor). The first officers elected were
Chairman, Bernice Cottingham, Vice Chairman, Jacki Hauter and
Secretary-Treasurer, Cleota Hartman. That first year a total of 11
families received Christmas help. The Enon Emergency Relief was
incorporated as a not for profit organization in July 1962. The
stated purpose of the organization is “to furnish and give such
aid as is necessary for the immediate preservation of human life and
welfare arising from emergency situations within Enon and the
adjacent territory.” Since then the EER has continued to grow
and to provide “one stop” service for emergency relief and referrals
to the people of the Greenon School District. Now, as then, the
organization is staffed entirely by non-paid volunteers. Our church
provides funding, food, and volunteer support. The EER relies on the
local people for the money and food needed to provide emergency
assistance. Food is mainly provided from food drives sponsored by
the Post Office and the Boy Scouts as well as church, school and
citizen donations. One previous Scout drive provided over 2500 items
including toothbrushes, other personal products and cans, boxes and
bottles of food and a Postal food collection provided over 2,400
pounds of food.
The EER runs USDA Commodity Distributions for
“over 60” recipients each month and coordinates the Christmas
Adopt-A-Family program. In addition the pantry is open each Monday
from 2:30 P.M. to 5 P.M. for emergency food, utilities, medical,
rent or other assistance or referral. If Monday is a holiday the
pantry is open on Tuesday from 2:30 P.M. to 5 P.M. All of these
programs are run out of the pantry located on Village property
behind the E.M.S. building. After storing the food in various
basements and in building space donated by Jim Miller Furniture and
later by Dr. Joel Vanderglas, the EER moved into the current
building (105 N. Scott St.) in January 2000. All of the funding and
volunteer labor for construction of the pantry was donated by local
people and various area businesses and foundations
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The Pantry Under Construction
Volunteers Sorting Food Collected by
the Postal Workers
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