By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

A critical gap in aid for underprivileged families is starting to close thanks to the work of Pastor Keith Decker’s Cedaridge Ministries and the Tri-County Emergency Network (TriCEN).

Decker is president of the Cedaridge Ministries in Williamsburg, an organization that helps meet the needs of the “needy and homeless,” by distributing food, clothes, building supplies and other miscellaneous items that families may need.

“One day we realized that there wasn’t a place for families to get help between Corbin and Williamsburg,” Decker said.

Decker said the ministry opened a “satellite” location in Woodbine called the Corn Creek Community Center in January to better serve needy families. The community center is in the process of joining TriCEN, a network of benevolence groups that work together to serve the Tri-County community.

Christine Bentley, executive director of Corbin’s United Effort said, TriCEN links groups from across the Tri-County via the Internet to streamline the services that each group offers to the needy. Each family in need is entered into a database — donated by Corbin Web Works — and maintained by TriCEN. Families receive a credit that keeps track of the services they use. The tracking is done in part to make sure that families are not abusing the services that are part of TriCEN.

“But it really also helps link clients up with services that they may not know about,” Bentley said. “If you are a small church and you can’t help a family in a certain way, you can use the network to refer them to other benevolence groups into the area. It helps us, the benevolence groups, all cooperate better and use our resources better.” Bentley said.

Bentley said Corbin’s United Effort often helps needy families with utility bills, and when her organization can’t fully aid families, they are referred to other organizations in the network that may be able to help.

TriCEN meets every six to eight weeks, and Bentley said TriCEN is always looking for new members.

“It’s important that people know that we are not uniquely a food pantry, we do all sorts of aid, it’s also important to note that it is free for groups to join,” Bentley said.

Corn Creek Community Center is in the final stages of joining TriCEN. Decker said the site in Woodbine is being brought up to code, paper work is being filled out, and the Internet is being connected.

To date the Corn Creek Community Center has served more than 1,200 people — and that’s without complete connection to the TriCEN.

“It’s been a dream. I saw the need, it was opened to us, it really has been something to see how the community has come together to help one another,” Decker said.

Originally the Corn Creek Community Center was only going to be open once a month, but Decker immediately saw the need in the community was so large that the center would have to be open five days a week. Decker said at any given time there are up to 30 volunteers working at the center.

“We’re hoping to get other churches involved because this is everyone’s community. So far Corn Creek Baptist Church and Antioch Baptist are involved. We want to try to get every family that has a need listed on the system and get them served. We are going to make sure every family is being fed, clothed, make sure they all have good shoes, and a good place to live,” Decker.

Even with the boosted help from TriCEN, Decker believes news of high gas and food prices will only increase the number of families in need.

“We are just beginning to see the increase in gas, we are just beginning to see the impact of the drought last year, and by the time that fully gets to us ... people are not going to be able to afford food. We are going to see a situation where children are going to go without food at all...” Decker said.

Decker is confident, though, that beginning organization of the new center last year is helping it weather the financial woes that face the country. Work last year secured food resources for the community center with suppliers, and the center has received word that the food needed “will be coming.”

With the help of the TriCEN system, Decker believes that the community center will be able to stay on top of the needs of its clients, and also be prepared for emergencies.

“All the people are going to be screened so they can’t get duplicate services, because it will show up on the system. But we do have emergency boxes so that, let’s say someone has already come in for the month but has a burnout that destroys all their food, or there is a catastrophe and someone needs to move in with them. We have the provisions for that,” Decker said.

Decker said he is very excited for the future of the program, and hopes that the community will continue to help out. Most of all Decker is thankful for TriCEN.

“One thing that was really special was the encouragement that Corbin’s United Effort, and all the other food pantries in the system gave us. They all were really wanting to say, ‘We’ll come and help you,’ to me that was really special, all of them offering all of that help,” Decker said.

For information on how to receive help from Cedaridge Ministries contact Decker at (606) 549-4964.