AIM Outreach is growing! The private non-profit operated by Jason and Anne Watson with the help of their three kids has been helping the community fight hunger since 2016 by providing multiple services including a food pantry which has been helping those in need in the Frazesburg area. The family is now hard at work setting up a second food pantry location in Dresden!
The new Dresden location will be conveniently located on Main Street at the old train house next to the Dresden United Methodist Church. The church is already extremely active in the community with outreach projects of their own including the popular Tri-Valley Clothing Bank that holds clothing giveaways several times every year and has helped countless families with essential items such as winter coats, shoes and other expensive apparel that can sometimes be a challenge to afford. The pairing of these two organizations could not be more perfect.
“They approached us this past winter about the idea of bringing AIM to Dresden. (Pastor) Dan Wells said they often have people asking about food and they were always quick to help them get groceries, and they would give them our info. Since they weren’t using the building that often, they thought bringing us in would be great for the people in the community in need,” said Jason Watson.
The Dresden AIM Food Pantry will be opening later this fall once shelves are stocked and ready. The outreach especially needs the following items canned fruit, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, soup, canned meats, Spaghettios, pasta and sauce to just name a few of the most high-demand items. Donations can be brought to the Dresden United Methodist Church on Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We’re not sure the exact days and times we will be open. Frazeysburg is Mondays 10-noon so we are working on getting some evening hours or Saturday morning hours for anyone who works and cannot make Monday mornings,” explained Watson.
In 2020 the Watsons began giving away free ice cream to kids in Frazeysburg, Dresden and the surrounding area. They renovated a previously retired ice cream truck, putting it to good use helping the community, something the family has a huge passion for. The truck has been in many parades since then, and has been out every summer for the past three years and most recently has been aiding in distributing hot meals in addition to frozen treats to kids in the community. The Watson’s ice cream truck even gained national attention with featured articles on the GoFundMe website as well as in People Magazine and an appearance on the Jennifer Hutson Show!
AIM wrapped up their Summer lunch program ran through their ice cream truck with some amazing numbers. They handed out 1,738 lunches and and estimated 2,000 free ice creams!
Various sources have record of Dresden’s poverty rate being higher than the national average which was at 11.5 percent in 2022 according to the US Census Bureau so the need is great.
“We are excited to partner with Dresden church. They will help provide some of the volunteers throughout the week. We share the same vision for loving and serving our community so we know this will be a great partnership!” stated Watson.
AIM Outreach can be contacted by email at outreachAIM@gmail.com, by phone (740) 258-8352, or through their Facebook page. The Frazeysburg AIM location is at the old elementary building, 68 N. State St., Frazeysburg and is open Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon.
