- LAMP is fundraising $200k for services like housing placement and helping with food inscurity throught Lunch at LAMP.
- The shelter handles 11k cases in a year.
- Watch the video to hear from neighbors why more services are needed.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
Cassandra Chartier has always wanted to help her fellow neighbors, even though she goes through hardships of her own, especially after Hurricane Helene.
Her home was one of were left unscathed, but it ended up being the victim of looters shortly after the storm.
"So my house was fine thankfully but they actually broke in and apparently when they couldn't get what they wanted they got super mad and just trashed things."
She says it can be challenging to listen to other neighbor's struggles while she works to assist them at LAMP, especially as that number keeps growing throughout her five years there.
It has her...
"...wondering where the help is for the middle class as well umm I know that we have a lot of people in poverty but we still have people who live day-to-day you know one check at a time and 1 little hiccup you know that can mess everything up."
That's why LAMP is trying to expand its reach in the wake of Helene.
The shelter has already expanded their services in the last few months; its Lunch at LAMP program has already given out 30,000 meals since its inception last December.
It's not cheap; their utility bill alone is $3,700 a month, and Yurshema Flanders, executive director, tells me they've developed a new campaign to help with funds, allocating $50,000 a year to those bills alone.
"I know you know the residents that we have in our shelter are considered citizens of Valdosta but at the same time you know you want to be able to give back as well and you know not so much as people giving to you."
