While the organization has a new name and a new logo, its mission is the same to help people.
Amy Maxwell, executive director for Project Life Augusta, said the old name of HPSO confused people.
They’d often get the initials out of order and when asked what it stood for, they didn’t realize it meant Helping People Start Over, she said. And in a way, that name was misleading.
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“Some people didn’t need to start over,” she said. They just needed help in their current situation.
Project Life Augusta moved into the space at 1758 Gordon Highway in 2019. The location offers food and clothing for families and individuals.
Maxwell said that the goal of the center was not to look like a thrift store. While it is stocked with pre-owned clothing, shoes and accessories, the set-up is designed to be more upscale looking. The fixtures came after stores closed at the mall. Mannequins and other decorations all came from an upscale boutique that went out of business as well.
“People come in and think we’re a store,” she said.
Maxwell said their goal is to keep the space clean and nice-looking to give people a sense of dignity.
Project Life Augusta started as an outreach of New Life Church but is its own separate 501C3 nonprofit. The organization partners with others to provide cost-free clothing, food and emergency assistance.
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Maxwell said they often help people who are dressing for job interviews by providing suitable attire.
Project Life Augusta is one of the closest food pantries to the Golden Harvest Food Bank, and they often receive referrals from Golden Harvest.
In addition to the food pantry and clothing, the center offers a substation for the Richmond County Sherriff’s Department. There’s a separate entry with keypad for them plus a place to eat and relax for a few minutes.
The center scaled back some early in the pandemic, staying open for drive-through donation drop off and pickup, but they’ve resumed regular business hours.
Once a week, the center staff host a Bible study and a meal on site.
In 2020, nearly 4,000 households received food or clothing through Project Life Augusta.
Project Life Augusta is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Donation drop-offs are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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