Local Antidote holds grand opening at West Ninth Street location

September 15, 2019 | 3:25 am

Updated September 14, 2019 | 9:49 pm

Located at 1621 West Ninth Street, the Local Antidote sits in northwest Owensboro and functions as “a light for the community” that primarily focuses on the needs of homeless and underprivileged citizens. | Photo contributed

After spending the last several months putting a team together, gathering donations and renovating a workspace, the Local Antidote held its grand opening on Friday evening. Around 60 volunteers grilled food for members of the community and assisted those in need with food and clothing during the event.

Located at 1621 West Ninth Street, the Local Antidote sits in northwest Owensboro and functions as “a light for the community” that primarily focuses on the needs of homeless and underprivileged citizens. Volunteers who work for the nonprofit said their newly opened building includes updated fixtures, freshly painted walls and ceilings and a completely renovated kitchen space.

Inside the Ninth Street location, those who are in need of clothing and other items, such as diapers, canned goods, drinks and toiletries, can select what they need from the shelves that line the walls inside the building. Now that the Local Antidote is operating on a more regular basis, one of its leaders, Ashley Vanover, said normal operating hours will soon be established, allowing anyone from the community to show up without calling ahead.

Even more, no background information is needed from those who seek help from the Local Antidote, and there’s no limit as to how many times a person can stop by for assistance.

“We’re not going to have a list of names or anything like that,” said Mary Wilson, one of the Local Antidote’s founding members. “We’re not going to keep track of who and how many times people come by. If somebody needs something, we’re going to give it to them. They can come once a week, if they need it.”

Vanover, who has taken the reigns for the nonprofit in the wake of original creator Adam Patterson’s move to Texas, said they wanted to make the process as painless as possible for those in need.

“There’s no paperwork — if you’re in need, you can come get it,” she said. “There’s no strings attached.”

The Local Antidote has been funded through donations and personal investments made by those who run the nonprofit, Vanover said.

At Friday’s opening, two trailers filled with clothing were parked in the backyard, open to community members to sift through, several of whom showed up for Friday’s event and took advantage of the opportunity. Members of The Shepherd’s Hand, another local nonprofit that provides clothing for those in need — will merge their operation with Freely Given as an extension of the Local Antidote.

“Once a month, we go down to Fifth Street, and we lay out the clothing on tables like a yard sale,” said Lisa Muench. “We put fliers out the day before. People just come and take what they need.”

Now, Muench will have a room inside the Local Antidote to operate out of. Even before getting the workspace, Muench said the response from the community has been amazing.

“They’re so grateful,” she said. “We’ve been doing this for a year, and then God blessed us with [the Local Antidote], who said, ‘We’ve got a room if you want to put your stuff here.’ We’ve now got a storefront where we can be open two or three days a week, and we can meet all of their needs with everything we’re doing.”

The Local Antidote is currently setting up their operating hours — in the meantime, those in need can reach a member of the organization through The Local Antidote Facebook page. Those wishing to donate to the organization can contact members through the Facebook page or drop off hygiene and non-perishable food items at The Creme, located at 109 East Second Street.

September 15, 2019 | 3:25 am

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