Public encouraged to donate to Shed for You community building

BROWNSTOWN

Students go there to pick up a snack after school because they don’t have much at home.

A woman stops by to take food to a family with multiple children that struggles to make ends meet.

These are examples of the impact made by Brownstown Central High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Shed for You community building along West Walnut Street in the county seat.

There’s a misconception among some people, however, that the building often sits empty.

For someone who frequently checks on the building, FCA Adviser Jennifer Shade said that’s far from the truth.

The organization had a company donate use of a box truck so a group of retired men could take turns driving to southeast Indiana twice a month to pick up pallets of food. Then middle and high school FCA members help fill up the shed, either that day or other days when it’s their turn to stop by.

The thing that many people may not realize is there’s usually a line of people waiting to take that food once it’s stocked, Shade said.

“We’re getting pallets and pallets of food,” she said. “We’re feeding people, but I think the perception is that the building is just sitting empty all of the time. It’s being filled up to its brim once a week, but within 24 hours, we’re finding that the food is gone. It just goes so fast.”

Shade said the FCA is more than appreciative of everyone who has completed fundraisers for Shed for You because donations are needed year-round since the building is accessible 24/7.

“There are a lot of people in Brownstown that need it,” she said.

In terms of nonperishable food items, Shade said anything with meat in it goes fast, including canned tuna or chicken. Cans of soup and snack foods also are popular.

Other acceptable items include canned vegetables and fruit, boxed macaroni and cheese and other meals and peanut butter.

“It eventually all goes, but those types of things go a little faster,” Shade said.

Items that go even faster are toiletries, including shampoo, hand and body soap and toilet paper. Other acceptable items include paper towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine products and laundry soap.

“Those go so quickly, we can’t hardly keep that stuff stocked in the building,” Shade said.

Pretty much anything but clothing and fabric items is accepted.

There is a binder inside the shed to give people a chance to write down household items they are willing to donate or that they need.

“If a family utilizes the building and needs more than is provided, we will hook them up with getting more,” Shade said, noting there is a sign posted in the building stating that. “They don’t always have to take so much out of the building. We will help supply that.”

Monetary donations also are accepted so FCA members can shop for items to fill the shelves. Checks can be mailed to Brownstown Central Christian Athletes, P.O. Box 159, Brownstown, IN 47220.

The idea of a community building came up during FCA’s inaugural year in Brownstown, 2017, and students began raising money.

In March 2018, FCA advisers and members attended a Brownstown Town Council meeting to share information about FCA and the community building. The organization received the council’s permission to place it in the town parking lot on West Walnut Street, which is in a safe, high-traffic area that’s visible and accessible.

The building was completed in June 2019, placed in the parking lot and had signage put on the front and sides. The door does not have a lock on it, so people can drop off donations or select items they need at any time, no questions asked.

A different FCA member is in charge of stopping by the building every day, whether it’s themselves, fellow FCA members or family members.

At a glance