Prodisee Pantry offers food and comfort to thousands of Baldwin County, Alabama, residents. A true community engagement project, the pantry—along with help from numerous volunteers, organizations and local businesses—has provided more than 2.5 million pounds of food to 24,548 families this year alone.
Behind the scenes of this faith-based ministry organization, office manager Tammy Davis works long hours to keep the machine of generous humanity humming along. With kind words of encouragement and gratefulness, Davis and more than 50 volunteers work every day to fill boxes full of food and pack them into clients’ trunks.
“Tammy is an inspiration, and that inspiration spreads to everyone who comes to the pantry to volunteer or to get food,” said volunteer and Columbia Southern University community relations coordinator Theresa Enfinger. “She shows her appreciation for her volunteers every time she sees you. You can see how much she cares about the community by the way she does her job.”
As a mother of two, Davis leads a busy life raising her children and working two jobs. This did not deter her from seeking a bachelor’s degree in business administration from CSU.
“The last three businesses I worked at, I was considered topped out in pay for my education level,” said Davis, who graduated last month. “No matter how much experience I had or how well I did my job, I was unable to move up the corporate ladder because I did not have a degree. I got tired of hearing the word ‘no,’ so I completed my degree.”
Davis said her degree has helped her improve her business and management skills, which she uses to help Prodisee continue to excel in helping the community. With Thanksgiving around the corner, the charity has been giving holiday meal boxes to families since the beginning of November. In fact, they even scheduled a special distribution on Nov. 22 to ensure everyone gets a meal who needs one.
Since 2003, Prodisee has assisted more than 151,000 families in Baldwin County with volunteers and help from local organizations. According to a June 2020 GulfCoastNewsToday.com article, Prodisee Pantry formed a partnership with the Area Agency on Aging, Bordon Dairy and Gulf Coast Produce Distributors to get food to families impacted by COVID-19.
Visit ProdiseePantry.org for details on volunteering, donating or getting assistance. To qualify for services, clients are asked to present proof of residency in Baldwin County and an ID. To learn more about Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, visit ColumbiaSouthern.edu.
Disclaimer: These testimonials may not reflect the experience of all CSU students.
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