LAFAYETTE, La. — Beacon Community Connections, in partnership with Catalyst Bank, has launched the Better Together Donation Drive to collect food, infant supplies, and winter essentials for residents facing life’s most urgent challenges.
“Anything helps — from $1 to $100, it does not matter what it is — a bottle of formula, anything helps,” said Julia Shiryaev, a peer support coordinator for Beacon Community Connections.
Organizers are calling on the community to support those experiencing critical moments, including individuals coming out of the hospital, those recovering from substance abuse, people experiencing homelessness, and residents recently released from incarceration.
Catalyst Bank branches across Acadiana are serving as collection sites for essential supplies. Blair Green with Catalyst Bank said their mission is rooted in community support.
“Our mission is to be catalysts for economic growth in the community, and that growth can't happen unless the basic needs of our neighbors are being met,” Green said.
For Shiryaev, the initiative is personal.
“For myself, it's my previous history of being one of those people that was in need, and somebody reached out their hand and allowed me to get assistance to find the foundation to not be a person in need, but somebody who can help someone else,” she shared.
Organizers say that meeting even one need can spark a ripple effect throughout the community.
“If we can meet one need for someone, then they have a chance to learn how to advocate for themselves a little bit and get a little bit more, and it's a positive ripple effect into the entire society around us and the community around us,” Shiryaev said.
The Better Together Donation Drive runs through December 31. Organizers hope every contribution will help neighbors on their path toward stability and self-sufficiency.
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