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Vail Valley Cares was created in 1991 in response to the needs of people in our valley.  It became clear to the local churches that there were people in need but there was no one in place to help meet those needs.  Jerry Milsaps, the Pastor of Lake Creek Baptist Church, was helping people through his church in Edwards.  He would accept donations from the community and distribute the clothing and household items to needy people in our community.  The church became overloaded with donated items and the community needs were growing as our community grew.  Jerry Milsaps and Benny Clark, another Pastor in the community, organized Vail Valley Cares and went to the congregations of the Vail Chapel for support. 

They then went to Vail Valley Rotary for a grant to help them open a thrift store in Edwards.  The Vail Valley Rotary Club jumped in and not only guaranteed the rent for a year but provided many volunteer hours to get the store up and running.  The need for a thrift store soon became apparent as the small store took off and needed only a few months of financial support from Rotary. 

Over the years, Vail Valley Cares has grown and become more organized but our commitment to helping people in need remains the same.  Our Board is made up of people from different churches and denominations from our community and we are here to help anyone in need.