January 2016 Newsletter View this email in your browser

A Word from Our Executive Director Cathy Berggren ...

I once read a book by Eugene Peterson. On the front cover is a picture of a long dirt road. One of the book’s key messages is a reminder that we can always stay encouraged to keep walking forward on our journey because we can look back and see God’s faithfulness in our

past. This is not only true in our personal lives but at the Real Life Center as well. I have watched God provide in so many ways year after year! This past year was no exception. I had the privilege of seeing lives changed in real ways. God did not only

provide in unexpected ways, He also allowed us to grow personally and serve a larger number of families. You have been a part of His faithfulness too! You were that

one volunteer who showed up at just the right time; you provided food when we needed it

most; you worked in the orchard, garden, or stores; you prayed with us or sent us a generous check. It was all of us working together to be His hands and feet.

I am thankful for you and I look forward to our partnership in 2016!

We appreciate the tremendous support of our community, businesses, and

volunteers. In 2015, the Real Life Center was able to accomplish the following:

1. Distribute over 533,000 pounds of food through our Pantry and Bread Room 2. Give 15,870 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables through our Orchard

3. Serve 13,642 individuals or 4,279 families 4. Serve 2,202 families at our Mobile Food Pantry 5. Add 418 brand new families to our programs

6. Distribute 11,067 articles of clothing & accessories through our Clothes Closet

New is the year, new are the hopes, new is the resolution, new are the spirits, and new are our warm wishes just for you. Have a promising and fulfilling New Year!

Did You Know?

11.7% of people are food insecure in Fayette County?

13.7% of people are food insecure in Coweta County?

What is food Insecurity? "Lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy

life for all household members". Source: Map the Meal 2015 Feed America (data from 2013).

Our Businesses are Amazing !Welcome to our new partner,

A Sweet Customer Testimonial "Relocating can be a challenge for anyone but especially for a single parent. The Real Life Center has been a life saver. I'm learning how to budget and how to make myself employable. Yes, after years of working for the government in FL, a big gap in

Parkside Dental Practice .They held

their first food drive and collected 349

pounds .Thank you !We equally

appreciate Debbie Sanders with

Curves in Fayetteville for holding a 2

month food drive with her customers .

Her continued support of our ministry

has been wonderful .Many of our other

business partners also demonstrated

their corporate philanthropy in

abundance .Thank you to Chick-Fil-A for your generous support during the

Holiday Season ,Panasonic and

Gritton’s Training System for

supporting the Center with a large

food drive to stock our food pantry ,

Uniglobe Accent Travel for their 12

Days of Christmas Drive, Kiewit Infrastructure for their Fall Chili

Cook-off and generous financial

donation ,Thrivent Financial for

collecting food and cash donations ,

Dunlap Wealth Strategies for holding

their own holiday food drive ,

Hoshizaki America in Peachtree City

for collecting an overwhelming 4,680

pounds of food ,Coweta-Fayette EMC

for holding a Christmas Can-a-thon ,Keller Williams for donating 27

generous gift cards ,Fayette Piedmont Hospital for their generous

donation of $<1,000 in cash and

pantry items ,Edward Jones for

holding a food drive for the third year

in a row ,the Air Cargo Association

for their $1,000 cash donation ,

Prohealth Physical Therapy for their

month-long food drive in December ,

World Gym Fayette for collecting

gloves ,hats ,socks ,underwear ,

employment due to breast cancer can cast a shadow on things. Even with experience you are told that they chose another candidate. At the Real Life Center, they have always been encouraging and they pray with you. They have helped me even more then they know. Thank you so much!" Ella and the girls.

We Honor our Schools!

We are amazed at the generosity of

the Kindness Kids Club at Braelinn

Elementary School! They collected

750 cans of food, and even helped

us load all of the boxes in our truck.

We appreciate Kathy Caldwell, 5th

grade teacher and Kindness Kids

Club Sponsor for showing her

students how to share hope with

others during the Christmas season.

We look forward to partnering with

this sweet group of children again in

the future. We just cannot put into

words how grateful we are for the

Starr’s Mill High School Beta

Club! They held a three month long

food drive to help stock the Real

Life Center food pantry. A special

toothpaste ,toothbrushes ,deodorant

and all kinds of toiletries for all ages ,

and Somerby of Peachtree City for

collecting food during November and

December for our food pantry. We

look forward to partnering with all of

you again in 2016! We also

appreciate the items we received from

the Peachtree City Fire Department

through their annual Santa Run !They

delivered two huge truckloads of food

right before Christmas .Lastly ,we

express our gratitude to the Optimist Club of Peachtree City for delivering

Christmas baskets. W

News from Our Stores

Enjoy our Winter Collection

thank you to Kelly Rock, teacher and

Beta Club Sponsor for coordinating

the food drive and for donating a

total of 3,236 pounds of food! The

Fifth Grade class of Landmark

Christian School came to the

Center to fill over 200 bags of rice

and beans. Their teacher Ms. Lisa

Higgs brings her class each year to

give them the opportunity to learn

about giving to others! The Kids R

Kids schools on Lexington Pass and

Robinson Road in Peachtree City

were so kind to hold a large food

drive at each of their locations.

Thank you to Megan Lewis and Sally

Weaver for all your support to our

ministry. Lastly, our appreciation

goes out to GA Military College

(Fayetteville Campus) for holding a

food drive on campus. The

Fayetteville Campus is GMC’s newest

campus and it was a pleasure

partnering with Lauren Harris, Dean

of Students. We are looking

forward to working with them again

in the future.

Facebook

New Winter Clothing, Shoes and

Purses on the floor! Discounts up to

80%!

Take advantage of our Client

Loyalty Card.

If you plan to make frequent

purchases at our store, our 2016

Customer Loyalty Card may be for

you. Buy the card for $5 and receive a

10% discount on your purchases. This

offer excludes furniture. Ask our store

managers how you can participate.

100% of all store profits is

invested in the Real Life Center

Families!

Tyrone: 992 Senoia Rd 770.632.3590

Fayetteville: 400 N. Glynn St. 770.719.0880

Hours: Mon to Sat 10am to 4pm

Website

Today’s Business Spotlight: Aventure Aviation blessed the Real Life

with 3,961 pounds of food and household

products during their November drive.

What a phenomenal achievement. Their

secret? A friendly competition among three

teams: Team 1 collected 1,011 pounds,

Team 2 collected 808 pounds and Team 3

collected 2,142 pounds! Persistence,

commitment, and passion are a strong part

of their culture as we learned first-hand

during a recent site visit. Aventure

Aviation is a leading aftermarket aviation

parts supplier dedicated to providing

unique, reliable solutions that exceed the

demands of the market and the

expectations of their customers. They

provide parts and component repair

management for commercial airlines,

regional operators, military air forces, and

MRO facilities worldwide. For more

information, visit

www.aventureaviation.com. Thank you to

a wonderful group of people.