Nobody injured in accident
Volunteers opening up the Gilmer Community Food Pantry on a rainy morning last Wednesday experienced an irregular event that caused the facility to temporarily close.
Food pantry director Allen Triebel said a car traveling west on Highway 52 hydroplaned and drove through the side of one of the food pantry’s buildings before coming to a stop. No-one was injured and the car, a state-owned vehicle, was towed from the scene, he added.
“It was pouring rain at the time. One of our volunteers barely missed getting hit. He was (working) with a lock that had water in it and he couldn’t get it open,” Triebel said.
The building that was struck is not the main food pantry building where customers are interviewed and the pantry’s office is located. The sheet metal building, which houses a walk-in cooler, stored food and various vehicles, did sustain significant interior and exterior damage from the car entering through a wall, Triebel confirmed.
“It missed the power box and our truck by about 2 feet. There was damage to stored food and contents inside the building. One volunteer had damage to his personal vehicle,” he added.
The accident caused the pantry to close for the rest of the day, which, like almost any Wednesday, is when clients come to pick up food.
“This was the first time we’ve ever been closed for anything other than weather or a Christmas or New Year’s holiday,” Triebel said.
Over the years, there have been multiple accidents on the stretch of Highway 52 that passes in front of the food pantry.
“We’ve had a vehicle flip over twice, not on our property, but coming up the hill from the other direction. We’ve had our metal sign hit and tire tracks on our grass, but never anyone hitting the building,” Triebel said.
The pantry will be open for food distribution this Wednesday, Triebel noted.
“We didn’t expect a lot of people because it was a miserable day (weather-wise) and the last Wednesday of the month, which is usually another reason we don’t get a lot of people. Since our clients are only allowed to come once a month, we’re telling them if they came (on that Wednesday) and didn’t get food, we can give them twice as much in April,” he added.
Triebel said he’s appreciative of the quick response by multiple agencies, including Georgia State Patrol, Gilmer Fire and Rescue and Amicalola EMC.
“An electrician came out and got the power back on and got our generators back on. There’s (so) many people to thank. Everybody we contacted responded promptly and helped if they could help,” he added.