Shepherd Staff Has a New Director

With the need so great this year, food banks have had to step up their outreach. But, according to workers at the in Loganville, the community has been more than prepared to do its part.

“It has been overwhelming,” said Megan Herndon, the new director of the Loganville food bank. “We had so much come in just from the Christmas Parade.”

The entry fee to walk in the Loganville Christmas Parade this year was a donation of food to the Shepherd Staff food bank. Volunteers and workers at the bank said some organizations went "above and beyond" in meeting that commitment. The shelves following the parade were well stocked to meet the need during the Christmas season. Former directors Joe and Bonnie Johnson were grand marshals of the parade in honor of their longtime commitment to the community through the Shepherd’s Staff. The couple finally retired this year, leaving Herndon to pick up where they left off.

In a biography on the organization’s website, Herndon is described as someone who “has a heart to help folks in crisis and a family history of wanting to feed people.” Herdon picked up the Shepherd’s Staff program Dec. 1 after being a stay at home mom for several years. During that time, however, she did continue her consulting business in IT Project & Program management. According to her bio, Herndon has more than 15 years of IT Project & Program management experience.

Herndon and her husband, Shannon, began their association with the Shepherd’s Staff by volunteering more than a year ago at the Thursday night Bible study. She has also served on the Board of Directors since December 2010.

The Shepherd Staff has served the community of Loganville since 2000 when it began as an extension of the Community Chest. Local churches picked up the responsibility and created Shepherd’s Staff Ministries, Inc. Now, more than 10 years later, as an arm of the United Way of Walton County the organization continues to reach thousands of families in the Loganville community.

Information about the Shepherd Staff Ministries and its services can be found on the website. The organization accepts food donations Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 - 4 p.m. Information about the best food to donate and other possible drop off sites can be found here.