Anita Williams and her team of warriors are offering help and hope to those in need in the Branson area through a group she founded.
"Branson Outreach is a vision, at least to me, of being able to help homeless families, without any strings attached," Williams explained. "We help with food, clothing, gas and utility assistance. We can, on an emergency basis, provide shelter, such as 'extended stays,' mainly for domestic violence victims and families with children."
Williams explained how Branson Outreach was formed.
"I was looking around on Facebook and happened to come upon a group called 'Helping Hands in Branson,'" said Williams. "'Helping Hands' is a Facebook group that helps people if they request it online. It is due to the fact that Donna Rogers and I shared the same ideas and vision, which led to the creation of Branson Outreach. Her group made me realize that it takes a village, sometimes."Williams explained that the most common requests she receives through Branson Outreach are help with food, clothing and shelter.
"As weather conditions worsen, many times I wake up to 80-plus messages, and it requires most of my day and into the night, responding and assisting with these requests," Williams noted. Williams has lived in Branson for the past four years"My husband and I came to Branson to retire and relax, while enjoying some of the events," Williams explained. "We decided to move to a tourist-type area, a place where our grandchildren could come and visit with us while having good family fun."Helping others is not a new concept for Williams.
Said Anita, "I've been doing this all my adult life. It started way back in Kentucky at KYISP.net, where I donated a computer and internet service for a year to a young lady that had just graduated high school. I just see people in a different light. There's no judgment with me. I don't care where you came from, who you are, who you love, who you sleep with every night. I just want to help if there is help needed—especially when there are children involved, because most of the time, people are just down on their luck."Those in need of assistance can reach Williams and her team through any of her websites, bransonoutreach.com, bransonoutreachwarriors.com, householddealz.com or bransonoutreach.org. She can also be reached via Facebook, through any of the free group sites, or through Branson Outreach on Facebook. Those wishing to assist Williams in her efforts by donating to her cause can also reach out to her online. Financial donations are always greatly appreciated, and go a long way in helping Williams help others.
"Donations are always accepted on our website," said Williams. "You can make a donation there, or you can send me a message on my website, or you can send me a Facebook message through personal messenger."Anita added, "People are in such need here in Branson. We do have a homeless problem. We do have a drug problem. And, we do have a housing crisis. Any donations or any things that you can donate, such as blankets, Ziploc bags, hygiene kits—anything like that—we are gladly willing to take, as we deliver and drop off to the homeless camps here in Branson. We also deliver to some of the low income extended stays. And, with all of the donations that we receive, we put back into the community."
"Being homeless is not a plague. It's not a disease. It's not something that most of them want," Williams continued. "It's just something that catastrophically, or some events, happened in their life that put them there. And, most people, they just want to be able to feed their children at night."
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