United Christian Ministries Open House

Last week our intern, Grace Chastain, attended an open house event at United Christian Ministries (UCM) located in Sylva, NC. UCM is a nonprofit ministry dedicated to serving the community by providing a food pantry, personal items, and financial assistance for essential bills to residents of Jackson County. UCM and Circles of Jackson serve as “sister” nonprofits in Jackson County, with both organizations seeking to better their community.

On Wednesday, June 15th, UCM held an open house where they dedicated their new building to their volunteers. Tours were given through the building by staff and signs were placed throughout the building to provide insightful information about UCM. The event provided a great opportunity for the community to learn more about UCM and the resources they offer!

UCM used to function as a shop-for-yourself food pantry, but the pandemic unfortunately took away that option. Instead of clients coming in and selecting food, UCM formed a system where the food was selected ahead of time based on current stock and brought outside to clients. Once renovations are finished in the new building, clients will be able to shop for themselves again. Picking their own food allows clients to only take the food and supplies they want or need which reduces overall waste!

If you would like more information about UCM, feel free to check out their website (http://www.ucmhelp.com/), contact them at (828)-586-8228 or ucmsylva@gmail.com, or go by their office (191 Skyland Drive, Sylva, NC, 28779)!