People driving in three Eatonton and Greensboro locations last week probably saw men in bright vests with buckets collecting roadside donations.
'We are from the Knights of Columbus (KOC), which is a worldwide fraternity organization through the Catholic Church. We try to help people in need in the community,' said Grand Knight Chris Wolf. The donations will be used for the Special Olympics and some other charities, he added.
Wolf said KOC roadside collections have been going on more than 10 years in the Lake Country area and 21 people had participated this time, working in shifts.
He said he had participated at least six times so far this time around.
Wolf said the collection of donations continued for six days overall, two being at The People's Bank in downtown Eatonton, two at the intersection near Publix in Greensboro, and two more at the Pyramid/ McDonald's intersection in Eatonton. Over all six days, the Knights typically collect more than $20,000, he said. 'People are really generous.'
According to kofc.org, Knights of Columbus were established in 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney, assistant pastor of St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Conn., and a group of parishioners, to bring financial aid and assistance to the sick, disabled and needy members and their families. It currently has 1.9 million members around the world.
Local Council 13808 is affiliated with the Christ Our King and Savior Catholic Church in Greensboro across the street from Publix. According to knights-13808. org, it was founded in 2005 when a group of parishioners decided they wanted a fraternal organization that was more than just a Men’s Club. They wanted an organization to be involved in helping the church, but also as part of a larger, more-established organization.
In 2020, members of Council 13808 donated 18,754 hours of their time and collected more than $56,000 for local community charities and church activities, despite the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown.
'We have 180 members in our little group,' Wolf said. 'I'm retired. It gives me something to do and it helps somebody who, I think, deserves to be helped.'