Fresh Start-South
7035 Spartan Drive
Hudson, NC 28638
Mailing Address:
PO Box 561
Granite Falls, NC 28630

OUR BRANCH
Fresh Start-South is a start-up non-profit community development corporation organized toserve our local community by engaging in a broad range of strategies that promotecommunity health and development and to also engage in activities which are necessary,suitable or convenient for the accomplishment of that purpose, or which are incidental theretoor connected therewith which are consistent with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal RevenueCode. Our first pilot community development project program is at South Caldwell HighSchool in Hudson, NC. They need help assisting financially challenged families within theirschool. First Start-South is designing a clothing discount store and food bank directly in theschool to assist the financially challenged students and their families. The clothing discountstore merchandise will consist of new and gently used name brand clothing up to one year old.The goal is to provide a very nice area for all students to shop for a low price with the option offinancially challenged students shopping for free.With the rise of bullying, suicide, drug usage, peer pressure and depression, the founder ofFresh Start-South realize a lot of these issues with teenagers come from the confidence of theappearance of the teenager. Teenagers are always concerned about what style of clothes theyare wearing, how they look in them, and what do their peers think about their outfits? Manystudents don’t want to come to school because their clothing may not be in compliance withother students. Students are picked on because their clothes are not name brand or worn downdue to the inability to purchase new clothes or being able to afford name brand items. InCaldwell County along poverty rate has increased over the last five years from 20% of thepopulation to 40% of the population. That’s almost 50% of the people living in poverty.
ABOUT US
Fresh Start- South clothing discount store set up will be just like a retail store for all students toshop right from the comfort of their school. Students will also have the ability to work in thestore as volunteers. Students will receive community service hours, on the job trainingempowering good work ethics, and good moral training on how to help thy neighbor insteadof causing distressed to my neighbor. The financially challenged students will not be exposedof their needs to other students. The school social worker will give the student a voucher to goshop in the store for free. The student will shop like any other student. Once student is ready tocheck out he or she will give the voucher to the adult staff personnel behind the cash register.The adult staff person in confidence will check out the financially challenged student with noexposure of his/her need. This process will eliminate students picking on each other leavingthe financially challenged students’ in a positive state of mind and confidence within him/herselves. Another option is the social worker will have full access to the clothing discount store toescort financially challenged students to shop outside of the store hours for completeconfidentially of the students needs.
