Communities Unlimited connects rural Americans to solutions that sustain healthy businesses, healthy communities, and healthy lives. We believe that access to opportunities should not depend on where you live, how much you have in the bank, or what you look like.
Check out some of what we’ve been up to thanks to the partnership with Town Square Collaborative.
“We are so very grateful for the partnerships with our local congregations and their collaboration with Communities Unlimited to fund our backpack programs within Searcy School District. It takes us all to ensure that our students are healthy and not hungry. Thank you to all who work tirelessly to support our students and their families!”
Searcy School District, Searcy, Arkansas
Through the partnership with the Town Square Collaborative, Communities Unlimited has been able to fund projects with select congregations.
Check out some stories below!
In Searcy, located in White County in central Arkansas, a growing partnership is working to address a need many communities face: making sure students have enough to eat outside of school.
Through Communities Unlimited’s (CU) Community Sustainability work, Facilitator and Healthy Foods Coordinator Brenda Williams has spent the past several months bringing people together — starting with conversations.
Working through the Town Square Collaborative — a program that supports rural communities by equipping local leaders and congregations to address community needs — Williams facilitated meetings with local leaders, congregations, and school representatives to better understand the challenges facing families in Searcy.
“It has helped us feel like we are on the path that is sustainable to doing the good that we seek to do as a community.”
The Rev. Michael Bolin, First United Methodist Church, Searcy, AR
The story began through a connection made by Brenda Williams, Healthy Foods Coordinator with CU’s Community Sustainability Team. Williams met Pastor Todd through the University of the Ozarks’ Town Square Collaborative, a regional initiative that supports rural congregations as they address local challenges.
As Williams and Pastor Todd talked, one need kept rising to the surface: food insecurity among elementary students in Stuttgart and the broader Arkansas Delta.
Pastor Todd shared that the church had already been supporting children through snacks and special events, but funding limited how often they could help. The church’s outreach — including back-to-school giveaways and Trunk or Treat events — revealed just how many families were struggling.
“We’re trying to meet children where they are. Food is energy for the body. When kids have healthy food, they sleep better, think better, and perform better — both at school and at home.”
Pastor Laura Todd, Grand Avenue United Methodist Church, Stuttgart, Arkansas