WAYNESBORO – Morgan Hovermale, executive director of Waynesboro Community and Human Services, explained some of the services that organization provides at last week’s Waynesboro Rotary Club meeting.
The organization’s history dates back to 1931 when the Waynesboro Welfare Association was formed, primarily to help people with winter fuel when times were hard. In 1979, the Waynesboro Fellowship of Churches formed the Human Services Council to serve needy families in the area. The two organizations merged in 2011 to form the current group.
The organization’s service area includes the Waynesboro and Greencastle-Antrim school districts. Its best-known program is probably the Food Pantry, with programs that include an in-person pickup facility, Backpack Buddies for students, Fresh Express monthly drive-through and Senior Boxes for senior citizens.
Morgan said the Food Pantry served more than 600 households and distributed 12,000 pounds of food per month in 2024. The group also provides emergency financial assistance for clients who need help with such items as utility bills, housing rentals, prescriptions and other necessities.
A total of more than $140,000 in assistance was divided among 197 households in 2024.
Other services of the group include a diaper bank, currently serving about 50 households a month, and a clothing bank, serving 700 households and supported 100 percent by donations.
Fundraising for the group’s annual budget of about $500,000 comes primarily from grants, fundraisers and donations from area businesses and civic groups.
