For the entire Dickerson Family, giving back to the community has always been near and dear to our hearts. We can trace our charity work back to December 2001 when we heard of a local family in the Free Home community that needed some firewood to heat their home. 

 

Between a few employees of our family business and ourselves, we purchased a load of firewood and delivered it to their house. Once we arrived, we found they didn’t have any electricity, barely any food for their young children, and couldn’t afford any presents for Christmas.

 

Over the next few days, we paid to have their electricity turned back on, bought them a full load of groceries, and went Christmas shopping for their children. On Christmas Eve, after we finished our family dinner, we loaded up our cars and made the delivery to their house around 10:30 p.m., long after the children had gone to bed. 

 

We wrapped every present in silver and gold wrapping paper, with a large red fabric bow on each one. We also bought presents for the parents, and purchased all of the traditional fixings for a large Christmas Day meal.

 

For many years thereafter, that was our family tradition. We would sponsor 4-5 families every year as a Secret Santa, and we would deliver the presents on Christmas Eve night after our family dinner.

 

Over the years we have worked with the Wreaths Across America Program, Secret Santa, Toys-for-Tots, and other various organizations as well as provided the transportation for disaster relief efforts for hurricane victims in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida.

 

In 2014 we started talking about either stepping up our donations to public charities or possibly forming our own foundation. We knew that through our previous giving efforts that the most important thing to our family was for the end user to get the most benefit possible.

 

In 2015, we officially formed our Family Foundation as a conduit to give back to the community and to help support the causes that are close to our hearts. We focus our efforts on the veterans, the elderly, and the domesticated animals & natural wildlife – primarily all of those in need or distress – that are located in Cherokee County, Georgia.