If Sgt. Willie “Pete” Patrick was known for anything, it was helping and feeding others.
After Patrick passed away in December, both the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and the Community Benefit Committee wanted to ensure his work carried on, leading both organizations to host a dedication Thursday morning for the “Pete Patrick Food Pantry.”
“He did so much in our community that people didn’t realize,” Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said. “He was over our trustee program. He was part of the road crew that goes out, and they mow grass and keep our buildings up. They pick up trash on the side of the road, trying to make the community a better place. So, what better way to remember him than by having a location like a food pantry to dedicate in his honor to remember him by?”
According to Patrick’s obituary, he served in the Ackerman Police Department, the Winston-Choctaw Regional Correctional Facility and the Columbus Police Department before starting to work for the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office in 2017, where he became supervisor of the trustees program.
The program allows non-violent offenders to get out into the community and work outside of the jail while learning life skills and values.
“It helps the inmates learn how to give back to our community,” Hawkins said. “It makes them more productive than going out and committing crimes.”
LCSO Lt. Rhonda Sanders said during Patrick’s time as supervisor, he helped to expand the county’s outdoor food pantries from a few informal locations to 25 locations.
Twice a week, Patrick and the trustees he worked with would drive a route to refill all 25 pantries with non-perishable food items. The route typically takes a whole day to complete, Sanders said.
Later in the day, at the Columbus Exchange Club, Sanders said the locations include Caledonia, West Lowndes, Crawford, Artesia and more.
Sanders said the new food pantry dedicated Thursday will not replace these outdoor locations. Instead, the pantry will be used as a hub for collecting items that will then be distributed throughout the county, carrying on Patrick’s work.
“What this pantry is going to be is basically our headquarters,” Sanders said. “We go out about two times a week with the trustees and we fill all those pantries throughout Lowndes County and the city’s pantries also. We fill them with non-perishable items, which we rely on you guys to donate.”
The main pantry will be open during daytime hours to accept donations and to distribute food to those in need, Sanders said. Anyone in need will be able to get food from any of the pantry locations.
“Some of our citizens here have a tough time week to week making ends meet,” Hawkins said. “This helps them get by. This helps them make it to the end of the week so they can feed their families. It means a lot to our community, being able to give back like this.”
Both Sanders and Hawkins acknowledged Patrick’s heart for helping others, saying that he will be missed.
“He may be gone, but he’s not forgotten,” Hawkins added.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
