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Piedmont Emergency Relief Center (PERC)
The Bonnes Amies Club originated in 1954 and is a community service club. Sallie Byrum and Anne “Mac” Mullikin worked together to organize the club. Charter members were Mary Banister, Mable Brown, Sallie Byrum, Kate Calvert, Lillian Gilreath, Hester Hall, Wynona Herd, Sara Long, Helen Moore, anne Mullikin, Ruby McCall, Creobel Poole, Anne Rampey, Mary Reid, and Maude Tice. The members decided to name the club Bonnes Amies which means “good friends” in French. The Bonnes Amies Club has been involved in many community service projects, such as the Old Timers Parties which many former residents and friends attended. Since 1998, the club has sponsored the Piedmont Christmas parade. The club has also helped the Piedmont Mother’s Club sponsor the Piedmont Tour of Homes. In 1988, the club’s Ways and Means Committee decided it would be nice to have a festival in Piedmont. The first festival was held in 1990 and grows larger every year. The idea of the festival was to generate enough money to put something worthwhile back into the commuinity. Thus far, the festival has generated over $62,000 to beautify and maintain the community as well as to provide needed items for public use. We invite suggestions for ways to improve our community. The following are things the club has been able to provide for the community as a result of very successful Footbridge Festivals:
Some of the trees and park benches have been lost due to theft and vandalism, but the club is determined to keep trying to make the community a nicer and more beautiful place in which to live. The Bonnes Amies Club recently sponsored the 13th annual Footbridge Festival. The festival has grown each year, and the attendance grows as well. With this added growth, we need more and more help from the community. The help received from the Piedmont Fire Department is tremendous, and efforts could not continue without their assistance. The Greater Piedmont Business Association has also been a great help. Appreciation is given for the Mother’s Club, the churches, entertainers, food vendors, car show participants, crafters, carnival, exhibitors and all the other individual people who volunteer their time and service to make the festival so successful. The festival is a team effort which originates within the Bonnes Amies Club and spreads outward into the community. We just hope that the wonderful attitude and camaraderie that the festival seems to generate within the town will continue throughout the years as we strive to make Piedmont and the surrounding community a better place to live. The Pride In Piedmont community group is asking volunteers to help make the Piedmont community a clean and safe place for its residents. The group hopes to make a difference in the community by organizing cleanups and other activities from the grass roots level to help improve the Piedmont area. The group sponsored a clean up in April 2003 which included scraping dirt and sand from the Verner Bridge (Hwy. 86) and planting flower beds on ends of the bridge. The volunteers have also taken it upon themselves to remove kudzu and other brush from the old wagon bridge which is sometimes used by fishermen. A trash can was also placed in the vicinity. The group hopes to make a difference in Piedmont by sponsoring similar clean up days. For more information call 845-3410 or 845-4520. Piedmont Emergency Relief Center - PERC
Website - www.piedmonterc.org
About PERC The Piedmont Emergency Relief Center (PERC) held a ribbon cutting and open house Sunday April 17 for the office and headquarters for the relief center located at the Piedmont Community Center. Rev. Ron Thomas and M.O. “Punchy” Howard, Sr. cut the blue ribbon to officially open the Piedmont Emergency Relief Center. Rev. Thomas also blessed the opening. The blue ribbon was used to raise awareness for the needs of families and children and efforts to try to take care of those needs. More than 100 people came to the opening and supported the food pantry by helping fill the shelves with canned fruits and vegetables, dried beans, rice, and pasta. There was enough food donated to fill about 20 or more shopping carts, organizers said. Guests contributed over $100 to PERC with the purchase of hot dog plates available during the event. Marsha Rogers, Piedmont Public Service Commission Chairman, arranged for a siren salute as the blue ribbon parted. Then the gathered crowd entered the first floor room which has been rehabilitated by volunteers. Most brought food themselves or brought food collected by their church. Many decided to volunteer at PERC in the future and everyone said they wanted to help in some way, organizers said. Co-Chairs Norma Hedstrom and Cindy Ashenfelder agreed that though the ribbon cutting was the highlight, the turnout exceeded any optimistic expectation. Unfortunately co-chairman Carol Ayers could not attend. Rev. Ron Thomas from Piedmont Presbyterian, Rev. Mahlon Helmuth from the Temple of Faith, Rev. David James from Piedmont United Methodist, and Rev. Lowry Drennan from Shiloh Methodist, all of the Piedmont Ministerial Association, support PERC and came to the open house. Dolly Cooper dropped by as did Craig and Lori Lungren with their two young daughters. Boyd Sexton, Punchy Howard and Peggy Garrett, Betty Davenport, Mark and Debbie West were other guests. PERC owes its success to the many volunteers who contributed over 500 hours in many different capacities. Jackie Ayers, Ron Hedstrom, and Cory Hedstrom were among those repairing walls, floors, and ceiling. Carol Ayers, Norma Hedstrom, and Cindy Ashenfelder ably co-chaired the organization to develop policies, procedures, and partners. Members of the Piedmont Community Improvement Association were also invaluable. Others too numerous to mention provided liaison with their church or other group. “Without their support, PERC would still be only a dream,” Hedstrom said. Members of the Piedmont community filled PERC shelves. PERC now stands ready to help Piedmont’s citizens, organizers said. PERC organizers are encouraged with the success of this food drive and community support. “Some found out about the open house and food drive as late as that Sunday and contributed. Piedmont’s generous spirit and neighborly kindness are evident in every can on the shelves,” organizer Jed Daughtry said. Anyone may contribute food during office hours or by special arrangements. PERC hours of operation are: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4pm to 7pm and Saturdays from 9am to 12 noon. For more information on specific food needs PERC might have, please call Daughtry at 906-7351. Currently PERC volunteers suggest that toiletries such as toothpaste and brushes, tampons and sanitary napkins, and other paper products would be helpful. Other shortages include: cereals, flour, sugar and artificial sweeteners, canned fruit, tea bags and juices, peanut butter and jelly and snack food for children’s school lunches. Baby food, formula, and diapers would also be helpful. PERC thanked those key to opening the door. The names of individuals and organizations supporting PERC were written on “keys.” which were place on a wall in the office. Recognized with keys were: Piedmont Community Improvement Association, Piedmont Ministerial Association, Piedmont Fire Department, Piedmont Fire Commissioners, Piedmont Boys Scouts, Piedmont Cub Scouts, Strong Communities, Marsha Rogers, Carol and Jackie Ayers, Cindy and Michelle Ashenfelder, David Ashenfelder, Ron and Norma Hedstrom, Christy and Cory Hedstrom, Sheila and Jed Daughtry, Wayne Pittman of Image Signs, Boyd Sexton, Mark West, Ted Williams, Max Kennedy of Grove Station, and Chris Nappi. PERC organizers said they hope to make announcements in the near future about a website and other events including a June 25 street dance with much of the proceeds benefiting PERC. Meetings of the Piedmont Emergency Relief Center will be held at the Piedmont Community Building’s Rowell Room. There will be a guest speaker and business meeting. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. PERC’s general meeting is open to the public and held the fourth Monday of each month at the time and location above.
Board of Directors:
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