Sep. 1—More than 25 local churches and 1,200 volunteers came together Saturday to share hope, love and blessings with the community at the Convoy of Hope.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., more than 1,700 people passed through the Cumberland County Community Complex. They were able to connect with local nonprofit agencies, get hair cuts, have a family portrait made, and learn about gardening, nutrition, and health services.

"I have been so humbled by this," said Jason Sitton, who helped coordinate public relations for the coalition of local churches that organized the event. "There are so many things I take for granted — like family portraits. There are so many people who have never had a portrait of their family."

By the end of the day, 1,767 guests were served.

About 30 nonprofit organizations were on hand to share their services and how they can help people with their needs — from hearing screenings from the Crossville and Fairfield Glade Lions Clubs to applying for affordable homes through Habitat for Humanity or connecting to counseling services or addiction treatment support.

First National Bank was taking professional family portraits and printing them on site.

More than 15 stylists donated their time to give anyone in need a trim and style.

Veterans organizations shared their services, including government programs to assist with job training or housing and the local Cumberland County Veterans Assistance Council.

Health services included ExacCare, who provided first aid during the event, and local health providers sharing resources and information on important screenings. The National Breast Cancer Foundation was also promoting monthly self breast exams and making sure individuals knew about local programs for important breast health screenings.

"The biggest push is to help people be self aware of any changes," said Savanna Donathan with the organization.

Local employers and employment agencies were represented, with volunteers helping folks fill out applications and helping individuals find employment opportunities.

"We're happy to support our community and Convoy of Hope," said Cecilia Paulson, human resources manager at Manchester Tank. "We're sharing information today that we are hiring."

The Nourishing Little Ones tent offered kids smoothies and a collection of easy recipes that could be made for less than $4. The gardening tent shared seeds and tips for a backyard garden to supplement food resources with fresh produce.

Bread of Life Rescue Mission's thrift store had fans, heaters, backpacks and more, with everyone welcome to take what they need.

The need was greater than anticipated. Randall Reagan with the thrift store let folks know he'd have more at the thrift store this week.

There were also free shoes for kids, with volunteers sizing feet and letting everyone try shoes on to make sure they fit before they left. They also received free Bombas socks.

"When you think about how much three haircuts and three pairs of shoes add up to — it can be an entire paycheck," Sitton said. "What we're able to do today is amazing."

Volunteers cooked up thousands of hot dogs with everyone enjoying a free lunch, and kids were able to run and play at the 10 bounce houses set up where just a week before there had been fair rides. Volunteers also handed out sno cones and popcorn.

Before leaving, every adult received two bags of groceries with a variety of perishable foods.

Then, as they exited, local pastors and volunteers offered to pray with people and share their faith. There were Bible stories and coloring books for the kids, as well.

Everyone could share their information with the local churches. Sitton said the ultimate goal was to connect people to a church family for the long term.

"Hopefully, we can change lives," Sitton said.

Convoy of Hope is an international faith-based organization focused on feeding programs, disaster response services, rural initiatives and humanitarian relief in areas impacted by war. Satuday's event was their second this year after the COVID-19 pandemic halted community events in 2020 and 2021.

They reached out to the community in April, asking if Cumberland County would host an event this year — faith leaders jumped at the chance to offer relief to struggling families.

A week before the event, about 800 volunteers had signed up. By the time gates opened just a little before 10 a.m. Saturday, 1,217 volunteers had come out to help, smiling and working together in the August heat with only a care for those they were able to serve.

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.