MANCHESTER, Ohio — The Community Care Center, which assists hundreds of Adams County families each month has a new home.

The center opened its doors Tuesday morning promptly at 10:30 a.m., at its new location at 212 East Second Street, just a block from its former location at the old Ace Hardware building.

The new center now houses both the CCC’s food bank and clothing bank, in a recently remolded space, thanks to a local industry.

AES, owner of the (DP&L) J.M. Stuart and R.B. Killen Generating Stations, assisted the Community Care Center with the relocation as part of its philosophy of giving back to the communities in which they are located.

CCC Director Ben Wright was busy assisting clients as the staff of volunteers prepared food boxes and clothing for the day.

Ben has been helping at the center since he returned to Maysville in 2001, from Washington state.

Ben said as a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Washington, he was involved in community outreach projects and when he joined the Manchester parish, he was asked to volunteer. The local parish organized the food pantry about the same time he moved back, and he’s been helping ever since.

He said it wasn’t too long after the food bank opened in 2002, that the clothing bank was opened.

The expansion hasn’t always been easy on the center, because of the need for additional space. Over the years, the center has moved from one building to another, until most recently, when the food bank was in one location and the clothing bank was in another.

To make things more difficult, the owner of one building wanted to take back possession of the building and the other  building became to expensive to rent versus the amount of money coming in.

“I think it’s a God thing,” Ben said of AES’s out of the blue offer of support.

“We opened in 2002, and started with 38 families; now we feed 300 to 400 families a month.” 

Ben said by last fall, the center was close to shutting down, due to operating costs. He said while in the middle of what to do about the situation, he was contacted by Debbie Lewis, office administrator for AES.

“It amazed me how this all came to being. We’ve just been totally blessed,” Ben said of the generous offer to help the center find a new location.

Not only was there an offer to help relocate the center, numerous AES employees volunteered hours to rehabilitate the building. The job required tearing out walls, building new walls, painting, upgrading plumbing, installing shelving and more, sometimes after their work day and on weekends. 

AES Business Service Director Steve Barnoski said AES looks for ways to better communities and right now there are several projects underway. It had been several years since the company undertook a community project in Manchester, so the search began on ways to help out.

Debbie said contact was made with village officials to determine how the company could help, and they were pointed in  the direction of the Community Care Center.

“We went into the food bank one day and realized it really needed help. Because they were paying rent, utilities and insurance, they were running out of money,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of good people who have done a lot to help other people.”

The search began to find a property owner willing to donate the building and from there, AES funded the renovations, along with donations from businesses on both sides of the river.

The center not only provides food and clothing to its clients, it has provided support and a new beginning for one of its volunteers.

Donna Thacker has been volunteering at the center for two years, after being required to do community service there as required by the court system.

Donna now works the front desk, greeting clients, running errands and helping out where she can. She recruited her mother, Sharon Brumley to work in the food bank and now Sharon volunteers as the warehouse manager.

“It feels like family and a home. I love it. It was the first time I felt people cared, and Ben’s been the best,” she said of her experience helping others and starting a new life.

As the glue that holds it all together, Ben, a retired DP&L employee, received praise from not only the volunteers, which are many, but also from the clients he assists.

“Ben talks to every person that comes in and the day starts with a group prayer with everyone that’s in the building,” said Gina Yezzi.

Volunteer Patty Nesbitt has helped in the clothing bank for nine years and gives credit for its beginning to Marie and Winton Henderson.

“This helps people in our community. We do a lot of praying for people if they need prayer, and Ben’s a good man; we are blessed to have good people,” Patty said.

Ben explained funding for the food bank comes from a number of area churches and the food is purchased through the Free Store Food Bank in Cincinnati, which is part of Feed America. 

“It’s very hectic at times. We are all volunteers here, there is no paid personnel. They do it for the community and out of the kindness of their hearts,” Ben said.  “They’re the group that keeps the thing running. I have to give accolades to DP&L and AES and Debbie Lewis and her crew that put this together for us. We’ve just been truly blessed.”

The Community Care Center is located at 212 East Second Street in Manchester. Business hours are Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The center can be reached at 937-549-8700 for more information.

Volunteers Bonnie Krieger, Tom Conroy, Gina Yezzi and Sharon Brumley work in the food pantry at the Community Care Center, which assists about 400 Adams County families per month.

Volunteer Donna Thacker works at the front desk of the Community Care Center.  Her involvement with the center has helped change her life.

The clothing bank has been stocked with newly donated items from employees of AES, owner of the J.M. Stuart Generating Station.  Items are sold for as little as .10 cents, up to $5.

This photo shows the former location of the Community Care Center.  The new location is 212 East Second Street, just a block away.

The interior of the previous food bank location was dark and had little shelving to store supplies.

The interior of the new Community Care Center before it was remodeled.

The interior of the new food bank at the Community Care Center.

New interior of the Community Care Center in Manchester.

The new interior of the Community Care Center’s clothing bank.