CABOT — Colleen Caldwell noticed that several members of her church had lost their jobs and had no idea where to go for help. She decided to compile available resources in what she calls the Cabot Resource Guide.
“There were agencies in the area working with the same people, but they didn’t know each other,” Caldwell said about working to bring those agencies together to work as a team.
Soon after checking into resources to help people, Caldwell decided to start a grass-roots organization called the Cabot Community Coalition, which had its first meeting in October 2011. Her goal was not only to bring the agencies together, but to bring together the people who need the agencies’ help, as well.
“I wanted to bring more hope and help to the poor and oppressed, the last, the least and the lost,” she said.
She began asking local resources —such as food pantries, school counselors, recovery centers, the literacy alliance, the county Health Department, churches and military organizations — for information and to pool their resources to help the people of Cabot more easily find what they need.
“She’s just a wonderful person who has a compassion to help,” state Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, said about Caldwell. “The ones who need help are not out there on the front page, and in some cases, they just need a helping hand. She’s done a great job, especially during the holidays.”
Caldwell orchestrated meetings that take place at noon on the second Thursday of each month, except during the summer, at The Diner, 3286 S. Second St. She brings in guest speakers, and the meetings are open to anyone who would either like to help or get help.
“We are all people who love to help other people,” she said. “We don’t handle money in any way. We just share what we are doing.”
Caldwell said 16 people representing 12 organizations were at the first meeting, and throughout the year, 50 people representing 39 organizations have regularly attended the meetings.
She mentioned a cooling center, which was a need the community met during the summer months. American Legion Post 71 at 114 N. First St. opened its doors for community members who couldn’t afford to pay high utility bills or didn’t have a sufficient way to keep cool.
“If the actual heat reaches 100 degrees, or the heat index reaches 105, the doors are open for anybody,” she said. “We have snacks and water, colors and coloring books for kids, and checkers.”
In her resource guide, Caldwell said, she also compiled a list of agencies that help consumers pay their utility bills.
Another service the coalition is studying is combining resources under one roof. A task force was established to conduct a feasibility study for a joint community service center in Cabot. The study isn’t yet complete, but Caldwell said there is a need for such a service center.
“It would require a huge undertaking,” she said. “If we could combine our strengths, so many more people can get help.”
Homelessness is another one of the issues Cabot faces, Caldwell said, but there is no homeless shelter in the community, and there is no public transportation.
“We really do have homeless people here, and we need help for them, or to help them get to Little Rock for help,” she said. “It’s the ones who have gotten so far down — those are the people who are really lost. … The more [the organizations] get together, the more we can address the needs that come up.”
She said the coalition’s goal for its second year is to continue to get some of the bigger issues resolved. She also said volunteers are needed.
“The more hands you have, the more you can do,” she said.
To download a copy of the resource guide, visit christchurchcabot.com. Click on the “Christ Cares” tab and then on the “Cabot Area Resource Guide” tab. More information on the coalition is available on the Facebook page at facebook.com/DeaconessColleen. Email Caldwell at deconesscolleen@gmail.com or call her at (501) 843-2302.
Staff writer Jeanni Brosius can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or jbrosius@arkansasonline.com.