Thanks to Shell Oil, with a major assist from one of its distributors, Dutch Oil of Columbus, two area organizations devoted to helping men and women recover from drug/alcohol dependence will be getting a financial shot in the arm this month.
Shell will donate $20,000 to both Last House on the Block, a sober-living home for men, and Recovery House, a residential rehabilitation and transitional living facility for women. Both are located in Columbus.
The money comes from the oil company’s efforts to enforce a policy banning the sale of drug paraphernalia from the stores where Shell products are sold.
Matt Bogue, director of marketing and operations for Dutch Oil, said while Shell has made donations in previous years, this is the first year the company has opened the program up for wholesalers to nominate charities from a pool of $400,000 in fines collected in 2016.
“Before this year, the money wasn’t distributed in any particular way,” Bogue said. “Now, they’ve opened up to recommendations from distributors around the nation. The donations range from $5,000 to $25,000, so we’re really pleased with these two $20,000 donations.”
Each year, the company sends mystery shoppers to make sure those stores are in compliance. Those that do not comply are fined by the company.
“The major question for Shell was what to do with the money,” Bogue said. “It didn’t seem right to take those fines and turn it into a profit for the company.”
That is where Dutch Oil, which distributes Shell fuel throughout north Mississippi, figured into the equation.
“Our president, Rex Gillis, is one of the 12 members of Shell’s national wholesaler council,” Bogue said. “When Shell came up with the idea of using the money as part of its charitable programs, they asked the council members to nominate organizations that Shell could make donations to.”
Last House on the Block and Recovery House were obvious choices, Bogue said.
“When you think about what they do and where the money came from, it just seemed like a perfect fit,” he said. “What else are you going to do with money from fines collected from stores that sell drug paraphernalia against company policy?”
For both local groups, the money could not come at a better time.
“We’ve just had a major grant discontinued, $232,000,” said Recovery House Director Stephanie Johnson. “That meant we had to cut back a lot of services we provide. So this grant is very important. We’ll take that money and provide some of the services we had to cut.”
Recovery House, which opened in 1985, operates in a home-like environment, providing comprehensive services to women, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, rehab programs, counseling, career training and transitional living.
“Right now, we have 31 women in our programs,” Johnson said.
The donation to Last House on the Block was also timely, said Bill Brigham, who serves on the organization’s board of directors.
“It just so happens that we are right in the middle of building our third house,” Brigham said. “So this money will go toward that. We’re very grateful to Shell and Dutch Oil.”
Last House on the Block provides a safe drug/alcohol-free environment for men and includes a variety of services, including spiritual guidance, career counseling and helping men make the transition back into society.
“We have 18 men living with us,” Brigham said. “It’s pretty amazing how far we’ve come in the five years since we started, and this donation helps us keep growing. We’re very grateful.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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