Calhoun’s Voluntary Action Center (VAC) has been named a finalist in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good Program. Should the VAC be named the winner of the new Toyota, the vehicle will be used to pick up donated bulk items and food items for the food pantry and future community kitchen.

Toyota seeks to commend the organizations that serve communities by giving 100 cars over 100 days to nonprofits. In many cases, this would allow the winners to serve in ways they were unable to before. This is true of the VAC.

“This would mean a lot to our organization,” said Stacy Long, VAC executive director. “We would be able to pick up bulk items that are donated to the relief center and food items that can be used for our community kitchen.”

According to Long, the VAC has had to turn away items that people wanted to donate because of their large size in the past. VAC officials requested a large Toyota truck as their vehicle of choice if they win the competition.

“We have no way to pick up and transport items that are large,” explained Long. “We rely now on volunteer vehicles, most of which are small cars. We just don’t have any big trucks.”

According to the Toyota Cars For Good Facebook page, the VAC wants to ensure that their clients are served, so they rely on requesting donations of food and non-food items. The new Toyota truck would be a tremendous asset to the VAC for pick-up purposes. The VAC currently does not have a company car; therefore the organization is limited and many times must turn donations away because they cannot be picked up.

With the opening of the Community Kitchen, it will be more critical than ever that the VAC be able to receive food donations to be able to serve those in need, explained Long.

The next step is for the VAC to receive votes on June 18 in a one-day voting system on Toyota’s Facebook page, located at http://apps.facebook.com/carsforgood/.

Voting will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight EST on June 18.

The VAC is up against four other non-profits: Asian Pacific Liver Center, del’Epee Deaf Center, Linclon County Council on Aging, and Friends of the Rappahannock

The VAC is very qualified to receive this award. They have been providing Emergency Assistance to the residents of Gordon County since 1971.

Each year, the VAC serves over 3,000 individuals with rent/mortgage and utility assistance, clothing and household items, medical supplies and medications. The VAC also serves over 10,000 individuals with food assistance and is in the process of opening a Community Kitchen and Homeless Day Shelter.