For nearly two decades, the Coalition for the Homeless of Nassau County has been working to prevent homelessness and improve conditions for those experiencing homelessness in the Nassau community. Services aimed at assisting homeless individuals and families include emergency shelter, food assistance, job application assistance, and case management. The Southeastern Bank Community Foundation recently awarded the Coalition a $4,000 grant to support the provision of these services.

“All money in our organization is allocated to purchasing items, services, and shelter for the clients we serve,” said Pamela Reiger, Treasurer of the Coalition. “With this grant money, the Coalition will purchase food, clothing, personal hygiene items, & sleeping bags and pay for services such as birth certificates fees, short-term emergency shelter, & transportation to and from medical appointments.”

The Coalition currently offers a Day Drop-In Center at Fernandina Beach, where those in need can get a hot breakfast and bag lunch to-go six days a week. These clients can also sign up for shower and laundry services there, with hygiene products and clothing items available. The Coalition also helps clients receive their mail and apply for social services. In the winter months, they also help provide a Cold Night Shelter.

The Coalition serves 25-60 people daily through its Day Drop-In Center, and separately, approximately 15 families per year. Children are not allowed at the Day Drop-In center for legal reasons, but a board member meets with families to facilitate the assistance they require.

The Coalition has plans to expand their services to the Westside of Nassau County in the near future.

“We are proud to support organizations like the Coalition who are providing assistance and hope for individuals and families in our communities experiencing difficult circumstances,” said Jay Torbert, President and CEO of Southeastern Bank.

About Southeastern Bank Community Foundation, Inc.

A 501(c)(3) organization, Southeastern Bank Community Foundation supports local nonprofits making a difference in the communities served by Southeastern Bank. Employees of the Bank serve on the Foundation Board on a rotational basis and determine how funds are dispersed in its local communities. The Foundation is currently funded with donations from the Bank.

Applications for future grant award cycles are available on the Bank’s website at southeasternbank.com or any Southeastern Bank office.

About Southeastern Bank

Established in 1888, Southeastern Bank has a long history of serving its customers and communities through its 11 locations in coastal Georgia and northeast Florida. The Bank is headquartered in Darien, Georgia. Visit southeasternbank.com to learn more.

About Us: Southeastern Bank, established in 1888, has a long history of serving its customers and communities. From traditional deposit and loan services to long-term mortgage originations and credit cards, Southeastern Bank has the financial products you need most. The Bank has 10 branch locations throughout coastal Georgia and northeast Florida, including Brunswick, Callahan, Darien, Eulonia, Folkston, Hilliard, Kingsland, Nahunta, Richmond Hill and St. Simons Island, and a loan production office in Hinesville.

Since its founding in 1996 as part of the Georgia Family Connection Partnership statewide network, Brantley County Family Connection (BCFC) has been involved in numerous local initiatives.  These efforts range from Reality Check, an immersive financial simulation that allows high schoolers to experience the practical realities of managing life as a 26 year old to Teen Maze, an interactive event designed to educate middle-schoolers on critical life choices, including the dangers of drug use and teen dating violence. The organization also provides essential school supplies to all seven of Brantley County’s schools as well as Head Start and educates the community on child abuse and neglect, among many other activities and programs.

Now, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Southeastern Bank Community Foundation, BCFC can add a “Kindness Closet” to their long list of community involvement. The Kindness Closet will provide necessities for community members in need. It will be stocked with essential hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and items for comfort, including blankets and jackets. To access the closet, community members should make an appointment and provide their government ID, social security cards for all household members, proof of income, and a power bill proving residency.

“There has been a need in Brantley County for a long time,” said Dawn Deen, Executive Director for BCFC. “(We) have tried in the past, but either the location or funding fell through. Many of our citizens here in Brantley County are low-income households but make too much money to receive financial assistance. This opportunity allows us to assist those families that work 40 plus hours a week but still struggle to pay their bills. When they have a hard week and just do not have the extra money for items like toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, laundry soap, feminine products, baby diapers, baby wipes, rash cream, shampoo, conditioner, or body wash, we can assist.”

BCFC is partnering with Brantley County Action Pact, a community action agency, to implement and oversee the closet.  “Alot of low-income households are struggling to just pay bills, let alone have any money left afterward,” said Taylor Turner with Action Pact. “With this Kindness Closet, we will be able to help these households in a more consistent way, so that they can get on their feet.”

Both Deen and Turner agree that the Kindness Closet can also help them connect low-income households and individuals with other services available to them.

“When they make their appointment, they will meet with my partner, Taylor Turner with Action Pact,” said Deen. “That opens them up to services that Action Pact provides, such as electric and water assistance along with the Kindness Closet. They then come to me to get the essential items they need and are open to many other resources in the community such as Blessing Boxes, Babies Can’t Wait, Unison, Health Department, Heron Book Nests, and many, many more.”

“Through another partnership, we will have a member of Okefenokee Alliance for the Homeless, OATH, available onsite for anyone homeless or precariously housed to immediately assist with housing, rental assistance, or legal documents needed.”

Both Deen and Turner are grateful for the grant money from the Southeastern Bank Community Foundation. “Receiving this money finally allowed me to move forward and do something I have been wanting to do for years,” said Turner. “(Helping) those that truly need it in a more personal way has been a dream of mine.”

“The Kindness Closet provides immediate, tangible assistance to help local families with essential hygiene and other items,” said Jay Torbert, President and CEO of Southeastern Bank.  We are proud to support Brantley County Family Connection and Brantley Action Pact in uplifting our community.”

About Southeastern Bank Community Foundation, Inc.

A 501(c)(3) organization, Southeastern Bank Community Foundation supports local nonprofits making a difference in the communities served by Southeastern Bank. Employees of the Bank serve on the Foundation Board on a rotational basis and determine how funds are dispersed in its local communities. The Foundation is currently funded with donations from the Bank.

Applications for future grant award cycles are available on the Bank’s website at southeasternbank.com or any Southeastern Bank office.

About Southeastern Bank

Established in 1888, Southeastern Bank has a long history of serving its customers and communities through its 11 locations in coastal Georgia and northeast Florida. The Bank is headquartered in Darien, Georgia. Visit southeasternbank.com to learn more.

About Us: Southeastern Bank, established in 1888, has a long history of serving its customers and communities. From traditional deposit and loan services to long-term mortgage originations and credit cards, Southeastern Bank has the financial products you need most. The Bank has 10 branch locations throughout coastal Georgia and northeast Florida, including Brunswick, Callahan, Darien, Eulonia, Folkston, Hilliard, Kingsland, Nahunta, Richmond Hill and St. Simons Island, and a loan production office in Hinesville.

The Hinesville chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace started a little over a year ago with a simple goal – to ensure that no kids sleep on the floor in their town!  The chapter provides beds, complete with mattresses and bedding, to children within Liberty County who are sleeping on the floor, a couch, or a makeshift pallet.  In its first year of operation, the chapter was able to serve 85 children.

Now, thanks to a $2,500 grant from the Southeastern Bank Community Foundation, the chapter will be able to serve 20 more children.

According to Terry Cook, Chapter President, the organization works not only to end bedlessness one child at a time but also bring awareness to bedlessness in the local community. Sleep is essential for children’s physical and emotional well-being, and having a proper bed can significantly impact their quality of life.

“Receiving funds from Southeastern Bank shows me that our community cares,” said Cook. When Southeastern reached out to me, it truly meant the world to me. Knowing that other organizations in my community saw what we were doing and wanted to help truly gave me hope that we would be able to reach our goal to make sure no kids sleep on the floor in our town.”

“A bed is such a basic need for children, and we are grateful to Sleep in Heavenly Peace for helping ensure that kids in the community have one,” said Jay Torbert, President and CEO of Southeastern Bank.  “Their volunteer corps and ability to stretch their dollars to benefit as many kids as possible is inspiring.  We’re proud to support their vital work.”

About Southeastern Bank Community Foundation, Inc.

A 501(c)(3) organization, Southeastern Bank Community Foundation supports local nonprofits making a difference in the communities served by Southeastern Bank. Employees of the Bank serve on the Foundation Board on a rotational basis and determine how funds are dispersed in its local communities. The Foundation is currently funded with donations from the Bank.

Applications for future grant award cycles are available on the Bank’s website at southeasternbank.com or any Southeastern Bank office.

About Southeastern Bank

Established in 1888, Southeastern Bank has a long history of serving its customers and communities through its 11 locations in coastal Georgia and northeast Florida. The Bank is headquartered in Darien, Georgia. Visit southeasternbank.com to learn more.

About Us: Southeastern Bank, established in 1888, has a long history of serving its customers and communities. From traditional deposit and loan services to long-term mortgage originations and credit cards, Southeastern Bank has the financial products you need most. The Bank has 10 branch locations throughout coastal Georgia and northeast Florida, including Brunswick, Callahan, Darien, Eulonia, Folkston, Hilliard, Kingsland, Nahunta, Richmond Hill and St. Simons Island, and a loan production office in Hinesville.

More than half of low-income families don’t have a single book in their home suitable for a child, but Ferst Readers of McIntosh County is changing that statistic for homes in their community.

This program mails age-appropriate books to children from birth – age 5 each month, along with tips for parents on using the books as teaching tools.

“When a family is struggling to pay rent and buy food, buying books is not a priority,” said Jean Wilsterman, McIntosh Community Action Team Leader. “By mailing the books to the child’s home, we provide much-needed tools for the parent to be their child’s first teacher and prepare them for a life of learning. Reading is a necessary skill for lifelong success.”

And now, thanks to a $2,500 grant from Southeastern Bank Community Foundation, Ferst Readers of McIntosh County will be able to serve even more children in the community.

“We will now be able to sign up more children in McIntosh County,” said Wilsterman. “It costs $42 per year to mail the books to the registered children. The Ferst Readers organization requires we have 6 months’ funding on our account to register new children. At the time we received the grant, we had 284 children on our rolls. We immediately put the 19 + children on the waitlist on our roles, and we are now signing up additional children. The grant money will fund an additional 59 children for one year!”

As Wilsterman explains, early literacy can help determine later success, which is why it’s important to provide books to this specific age group.

“Learning begins at birth,” said Wilsterman. “A baby needs to hear words and see colors and shapes in these early formative months and years.  A child’s brain is 85% developed by age 3. It is important they hear and see sounds, words, shapes and colors. Reading to a child also teaches them to sit, be still and give attention to learning. Holding a book and learning how to open and turn pages is a skill needed for classroom learning. This prepares the child for learning the rest of their lives. The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an early introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.”

“Promoting childhood literacy is one of our Foundation’s key priorities,” said Jay Torbert, President and CEO of Southeastern Bank. “We appreciate the work Ferst Readers of McIntosh County is doing to help develop the next generation – one book at a time.” 

About Southeastern Bank Community Foundation, Inc.

A 501(c)(3) organization, Southeastern Bank Community Foundation supports local nonprofits making a difference in the communities served by Southeastern Bank. Employees of the Bank serve on the Foundation Board on a rotational basis and determine how funds are dispersed in its local communities.  The Foundation is currently funded with donations from the Bank.

Applications for future grant award cycles are available on the Bank’s website at southeasternbank.com or any Southeastern Bank office.

About Southeastern Bank

Established in 1888, Southeastern Bank has a long history of serving its customers and communities through its 11 locations in coastal Georgia and northeast Florida. The Bank is headquartered in Darien, Georgia.  Visit southeasternbank.com to learn more.

About Us: Southeastern Bank, established in 1888, has a long history of serving its customers and communities. From traditional deposit and loan services to long-term mortgage originations and credit cards, Southeastern Bank has the financial products you need most. The Bank has 10 branch locations throughout coastal Georgia and northeast Florida, including Brunswick, Callahan, Darien, Eulonia, Folkston, Hilliard, Kingsland, Nahunta, Richmond Hill and St. Simons Island, and a loan production office in Hinesville.

Morningstar Children and Family Services in Brunswick specializes in caring for special needs foster boys, ages 12-21, who have come into care due to abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Their 50-bed residential program is the only one in Georgia exclusively serving developmentally delayed youth, many with autism and complex care needs. In addition to providing a home for these children, Morningstar also offers therapeutic counseling, life skill training, and workforce coaching to help ensure a brighter future for the youth in their care. The children also continue educational studies, working towards a high school diploma, and receive ongoing recreational opportunities.

As part of its residential program, Morningstar offers “Food is Love” to the boys in their care, which a $3,000 grant from the Southeastern Bank Community Foundation helped fund.

“When boys come to Morningstar, they are looking to heal,” said Lisa Johnson, Grants Coordinator for Morningstar. “They are looking for comfort and familiarity. Having three hot and nutritious meals per day provides that comfort. Many of our boys have experienced food insecurity during their short lives. Our kitchen team provides not just a place to eat, but also a place where our boys feel safe and secure. They feel connected to our team and know they can count on a warm greeting, a smile, and a great meal in the Morningstar cafeteria!”

“Morningstar needs our community to stand in the gap for those we serve,” said Johnson. “Funding must come from a variety of sources to meet the needs of the boys who call our campus home. Partners like Southeastern Bank are critical to the mission. We are honored to partner with this wonderful business, where team members don’t just provide funding; they also give their time to connect with our programs. This is how lasting partnerships are forged.”

“Foster children are some of our most vulnerable,” said Jay Torbert, President and CEO of Southeastern Bank. “We’re glad to support these children and Morningstar with a grant to the Foods is Love program.”

About Southeastern Bank Community Foundation, Inc.

A 501(c)(3) organization, Southeastern Bank Community Foundation supports local nonprofits making a difference in the communities served by Southeastern Bank. Employees of the Bank serve on the Foundation Board on a rotational basis and determine how funds are dispersed in its local communities. The Foundation is currently funded with donations from the Bank.

Applications for future grant award cycles are available on the Bank’s website at southeasternbank.com or any Southeastern Bank office.

About Southeastern Bank

Established in 1888, Southeastern Bank has a long history of serving its customers and communities through its 11 locations in coastal Georgia and northeast Florida. The Bank is headquartered in Darien, Georgia. Visit southeasternbank.com to learn more.

About Us: Southeastern Bank, established in 1888, has a long history of serving its customers and communities. From traditional deposit and loan services to long-term mortgage originations and credit cards, Southeastern Bank has the financial products you need most. The Bank has 10 branch locations throughout coastal Georgia and northeast Florida, including Brunswick, Callahan, Darien, Eulonia, Folkston, Hilliard, Kingsland, Nahunta, Richmond Hill and St. Simons Island, and a loan production office in Hinesville.

Due to Hurricane Dorian, all Southeastern Bank branches, except Callahan, Folkston, Hilliard and Nahunta will close Tuesday, September 3 – Thursday, September 5. Our ATM, online and mobile banking platforms will remain available. Please follow precautions outlined by officials in your area to stay safe!

About Us: Southeastern Bank, established in 1888, has a long history of serving its customers and communities. From traditional deposit and loan services to long-term mortgage originations and credit cards, Southeastern Bank has the financial products you need most. The Bank has 10 branch locations throughout coastal Georgia and northeast Florida, including Brunswick, Callahan, Darien, Eulonia, Folkston, Hilliard, Kingsland, Nahunta, Richmond Hill and St. Simons Island, and a loan production office in Hinesville.