Child Concern Center: Making a Difference!
They are society’s most vulnerable citizens. Unlike adults, they cannot chart their own course in life yet.
According to the State of Missouri, about 23 percent of the state’s children live in poverty.
That is a matter of concern, and the Child Concern Center in Poplar Bluff does its best to battle those figures.
Child Concern Center Executive Director Derrick Miller has made it is personal mission to help these children and their families.
He explains the group was formed in 1975, and to this day exists because of the efforts of its dedicated volunteers.
They basically seek to turn one person’s junk into another person’s treasure. The group has a store at 601 Poplar Street, and for every $5 one spends in the store, the group creates food packages once a month for clients, keeps many families in diapers, and it provides each child who needs it quarterly with two sets of clothing. The group even tries to help as many as possible with utility bills and other emergency situations.
Recently the group heard of the plight of many Jefferson County families displaced by flooding, and the group mobilized an effort which provided clothing for dozens of Jefferson County families.
“The families we serve make less than $1,200 a month, and they really need help,” explained Miller. “We do our best to help them.”
He says Child Concern is always looking for more volunteers and more donations.
“The more help we get in running this program, the more help we can give,” concluded Miller.
It is volunteers like these ladies who keep The Child Concern Center running. The group made a huge difference for many Jefferson County families who were recently the victims of flooding as Missouri’s rivers continue to rise.
Many thanks to Donna Kay Watson for gathering information for this story.
To find out how you can help, call 573-785-3108.