Responding to the Community's Needs in 2022

2022 was a remarkable year! Dumas Wesley Community Center's Annual Report highlights achievements from the past year, as well as powerful testimonials from our clients and community partners. Click here to view Dumas Wesley Community Center's 2022 Annual Report.

March is National Nutrition Month!

In March, the Dumas Wesley Community Center celebrated National Nutrition Month to raise awareness about the importance of making informed food choices and developing healthful eating habits. In an effort to encourage healthy lifestyles and a balanced diet among its clientele, the Dumas Wesley Community Center provided the following programs and services:

• 1,518 balanced meals for local senior citizens in the Senior Activities for Independent Living Program
• 409 meals for school-age children enrolled in the After School Achievement Program
• Cooking classes for school-age kids, in partnership with The Cookery Project
• "Shopping on a Budget and Meal Planning" class for residents housed at the Sybil Smith Family Village
• 101 food boxes distributed to families in need, thanks to community partner, The Joseph Project
• 37 emergency food bags distributed to local community members

"Once a month, I have the privilege of being in the company of kind and compassionate people that volunteer at the Joseph Project Food Pantry. I've always felt welcome, and I appreciate that! I am very grateful for the box of food. It allows me to save money; because when you're on a fixed income, that's important. I've also learned with careful planning that the food I receive allows me to make my favorite meals - spaghetti and macaroni and cheese! Without the food pantry, I just don't know what I'd do. Thank you." --Wilson, Joseph Project Food Pantry participant

In preparation for opening day, the Baldwin Family Village Foundation and the Dumas Wesley Community Center are proud to report the following facility upgrades: new security cameras and security gate, new fencing, new furnishings for each of the 13 bedrooms and common areas, new cabinetry, and a newly stained and weatherized outdoor deck.Thank you to all our community partners and volunteers who helped give the Baldwin Family Village a facelift!

Get Involved!

• Meal sponsors needed! Sponsor a home-cooked dinner for residents. Click here to sign up to learn more about becoming a meal sponsor
• Welcome Baskets - Donate items that include: pillows, towels, bedding, toiletries, etc. that will be given as residents move in. Click here to see the Amazon wish list
• Transportation - Donate a gently used minivan or passenger van to assist with transportation for residents. Email Kate Carver at kcarver@dumaswesley.org or call 251.479.0649
• Click here to learn about job openings at the Baldwin Family Village
• Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities

The Baldwin Family Village (BFV) is a transitional housing program that will be operated by the Dumas Wesley Community Center. The BFV will provide housing and support services to single women and women with children experiencing homelessness in Baldwin County. BFV is slated to open in April, 2023. 

Click here to learn more about the Baldwin Family Village. 

Kathy Robinson is a licensed Family Day Care Home provider through Dumas Wesley Community Center’s Child and Adult Care Food Program. For 30 years, Robinson Child Care, LLC, has been providing quality child care for children 12 and under. Robinson is a second generation home day care provider. Her mother, Sarah Hawkins, now retired, participated in the Child and Adult Care Food Program for over 30 years. “I remember coming home from school and helping my mother take care of the children. Today, my daughter, Dana, helps me throughout the day, just like I helped my mom when I was younger. It’s always been a family affair,” said Robinson.

Dumas Wesley Community Center monitors 58 licensed family day care home providers in Mobile and Washington Counties. Nutrition standards for The Child and Adult Care Food Program play a critical role in ensuring that providers serve well-balanced meals and snacks. The USDA-funded program provides nutrition education and monthly food reimbursements to providers.

“Over the years, there have been children in my care that did not have a lot of options to eat healthy. It makes me feel good knowing that the kids I take care of are served a healthy breakfast, snack and lunch. Inflation and the pandemic really hit me hard the past couple of years. This program has been such a lifeline for me to be able to afford and cook healthy meals. I appreciate Dumas Wesley Community Center for overseeing this program. I am proud to carry on in my mother’s footsteps, as a family home day care provider,” said Robinson.

In 2022, 56 home day care providers served 249,700 meals to 446 children. Dumas Wesley provided 112 hours of on-site and virtual nutritional training for licensed home daycare providers.

Click here to learn more about the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

Dumas Wesley Community Center's transitional housing program, the Sybil Smith Family Village, is the proud recipient of a grant from the HG Clay Foundation. Grant funding will support homeless women and children who are working to re-establish and maintain permanent housing.

"The HG Clay Foundation is dedicated to working with organizations helping the marginalized of our community," said Daniel Thompson, Executive Director of the HG Clay Foundation. "A key area of need in the community is housing for the homeless and our support to Sybil Smith Family Village is a great partnership in this area. Their work to provide much more than shelter is commendable and worth replicating. The program's level of success of moving women and children from homelessness to permanent housing is outstanding. We are grateful to have a partner like the Dumas Wesley Community Center meeting the needs in our community," said Thompson.

Click here to learn more about the Sybil Smith Family Village.

Dumas Wesley Community Center will open registration for its Summer Recreation Program beginning April 3 - May 8, 2023. The program serves low-income families and their children ages 6-15. The fun-filled summer includes a variety of educational field trips, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) workshops, swimming and a five-day trip to Camp Blue Lake located in Andalusia, Alabama.



Click here to learn more about the Summer Recreation Program.