CULLMAN CARING FOR KIDS

We are very fortunate to have Mr. Javon Daniel here as the Executive Director of Cullman Caring for Kids. Mr. Daniel has been a part of Cullman Caring for Kids for many years, 20 years to be exact. The passion he has for this community shines in everything he does. Javon was a graduate of Holly Pond High School, where he then went to Athens State University. Javon worked at the Cullman County Sheriffs Department and worked with the Juvenile Division for quite some time. He loves his work family, and takes care of them as his own. I come to know Mr. Daniel years ago, his son Jeff and I went to school together.
I always knew him as our bus driver for band trips and football games. Even back then, you could see the love he had for not only his fellow man, but his community as well. I see the excitement in his face everyday as food comes in and he knows we are able to serve others. I have also seen the worry in his eyes when the shelves are bare, and we don't know what the next move will be. We pray, and God provides.  The one thing that sticks out the most, and is the absolutely most important, is his love for Jesus. He starts everyday with us all and leads us in prayer. This day and time with the way things are, that is a rarity itself. Thank you Javon for a job well done.

Covid-19 changed the world around us. So many life changes occurred due to the virus. One thing that made this virus hard, you couldn't see it, but yet it was disrupting lives everywhere. So many things we take for granted everyday, was suddenly taken from us all. We were scared to go to town, a normal trip to the grocery store required wiping things down, and wearing masks, wearing gloves, etc. We couldn't visit those we loved, we had to keep our distance, no hugs, some understood and some did not. The staff here at Cullman Caring for Kids will never forget it. We worked hard and steadfast everyday to make sure the community could get the resources they needed. So many lost jobs, unemployment was on the rise, making it even more difficult for them to draw their unemployment. We were all scared of the unknown. This community stepped up and showed out in a big way. It blessed your heart to see so many volunteering to help others in a dire time of need. We asked a few of our employees about what stood out at them the most about being here at the food bank during Covid-19. 
Here are their quotes:
Javon Daniel, " We realized how much the Food Bank was needed."
Nancy Bryant, " The fact that we laid down every night with a whole heart, knowing that people/children were not going to bed hungry." "The staff put their lives at danger, yet they never complained, and kept pressing on."
Jayne Roberts, "the food bank, the teamwork that it took to pull it off with a skeleton crew, no matter what we needed, we did it and got it done. "Knowing that people were truly scared, they needed to know we were here, and it was going to be alright."
Tonja Grace, " I could never put into words the love, the friendship, and the hope that I saw within this Food Bank. The community as a whole, they made my heart happy.