Melanie Berryman, Neese District secretary and M.A.R.T. Life Enrichment Action Team committee member, along with Karin Morris, customer service representative (rep); Mayra Velez, bi-lingual customer service rep; Randall Echols, custodian; and Alex Goldman, Jefferson District customer service rep, volunteered at the 10th Annual Madison Area Resource Team (M.A.R.T.)/ Family Connection Back-to-School Supply Drive and the Life Enrichment Action Team’s Back-to-School Rally, an event for low-income families.

Volunteers helped purchase, sort and bag school supplies before the event, and they helped set up, direct guests, hand out supplies to the students and serve the families. Providing as many as 500 students with school supplies and feeding as many as 600 people, including parents/guardians, the event included a hot dog dinner and family enrichment information booths.

“Serving our Jackson EMC members for nearly 30 years has been gratifying, but the added opportunities for serving the community has been extremely rewarding,” Berryman said. The M.A.R.T was originally formed as various leaders of the community gathered to create collaboration and to prevent service duplication, including area churches, local businesses and individuals. “It was interesting to meet many of our members, see them in a different setting and to help them under different circumstances other than in the office,” added Velez.

“We’re proud that our employees are committed to enriching our environment and enhancing the quality of life in the communities we serve,” stated Jean Mullis, Neese District manager.

To find out how you can get involved, contact the Madison County Family Connection office in Danielsville or visit them online at http://madison.gafcp.org/.