Dependency on alcohol and drugs will lead a person to the realization they need to start a new life, Brooks Bright, of Lurton, told members of the Newton County Hometown Health Initiative coalition at its regular meeting held Thursday morning, Feb. 13, at the Jasper Methodist Church Fellowship Hall.
Bright is a community relations representative for We Can, a Christ-centered network of transformation ministries for those who are substance dependent.
There are eight facilities for men and seven for women around the state. Bright is working with one housing men in Harrison sponsored by the Woodland Heights Baptist Church. It is called The Woodshed.
Bright said he came here with his wife from Conway. He was looking to bring the We Can Overcome Addiction program to the area when he met Heath Kirkpatrick, the pastor of Woodland Heights Baptist Church. A gift bequeathed to the church was used to develop the program. After three years, the program has just recently taken in its third man who had been incarcerated.
Bright said his passion in life is to help men and women get off drugs and alcohol.
Typically the duration of a program is a year, but The Woodshed is a nine-month-long program, Bright said.
They are all long-term, faith based or Christ-centered, transformation facilities. The word "rehab" is frowned upon. "We don't want to get them back to the way they were. We want to get them to a point they never were." Bright said.
Currently the Harrison program has one more bed available, but he said the program isn't just to provide a person with a place to reside.
The program is designed to help the individual get their self respect and family back. "It's a very fruitful ministry," Bright explained.
The Harrison facility is a small house with four beds, Bright said. He believes it will eventually grow depending on finances. He said he would like to see a woman's facility in Newton County. There is a women's ministry located in Marshall. There is only one home that takes women with children.
Bright said he is seeing a trend of smaller rural churches with aging congregations reviving themselves by starting a transformation facility out of their church buildings.
All of the facilities that are under the We Can umbrella are non-profit and independent. We Can helps the ministries get started and show them ways to bring revenue streams in and keep their doors open, Bright said.
Farmers Market opens April 11
Also attending the hometown health meeting was Tanya Smith, manager of the Jasper Farmers Market. The coalition is learning about food insecurity issues in Newton County and how current programs are reaching out to those in need of healthy food.
The Jasper Farmers Market was initiated through Newton County Hometown Health efforts more than 20 years ago and the market has gone through several generations of management and vendors.
The new season begins Friday, April 11. Market days will be Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the courthouse lawn in downtown Jasper.
Smith said this will be her second stint as market manager. The market has expanded over the years to encompass all parts of farm life including the crafts that are practiced by farm families. Besides the usual farm products, the market also includes baked goods, jams, jellies and locally produced honey. On any given market day customers can finds unusual foods as well such as edible mushrooms.
Vendors have traditionally worked in partnership with other community organizations and programs, Smith said. Vendors have the option to accept vouchers through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women Infants and Children's (WIC) nutrition program.
Smith said the market usually opens with 25 vendors. The number of vendors grows to about 50-60 as the growing season progresses.
Often vendors will utilize on how-to demonstrations and informational presentations about their products.
