The Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism sponsored a ribbon-cutting celebration for the Alleghany/Covington Department of Social Services Clayton Heath Nicely Memorial Food Pantry, Covington, last Friday.
Nicely was remembered by his former co-workers as being bright, positive, and a hard worker.
They also shared that he would write uplifting quotes, every day, and leave them in the main lobby. When asked about the quotes, Nicely replied that “people who come here are a lot of times down on their luck so I just wanted to give them something positive to help uplift them.”
Mayor Tom Sibold, City of Covington, remembered Nicely as “a special person who would light up a room every time he walked in.” “It’s such a loss to lose someone with his potential so young,” added Sibold. He concluded by telling the assembled group that “we have some issues in our community that need to be worked on. We are losing young people all the time and we need to fix that. I’m not sure how to do it but we’ve got to do something.”
Emily Trani, Family Services Senior Worker, remembered Nicely as a “good guy”. “He was witty and funny and always knew how to make a joke or make you laugh even when it was a crazy day at work,” said Trani. “I hope this food pantry can be a help to anyone who might need it because that’s what Heath would have wanted,” she added.
Before presenting the plaque to Nicely’s family, Trani shared the last text she received from him. It reads, in part, as follows: “Do whatever it takes to make your life happy……. I want nothing but the best for everybody…… I hope everyone finds the courage to understand their worth and go the route God intended. Stay beautiful.”
Nicely’s sister, Heather; mom, Billee, and dad, Clay accepted the plaque and thanked the assembled group through some tears, “thank you for keeping his memory alive. He loved you guys. We miss him a lot, every day,” said Billee.
Kathleen All, President, AHCC&T; Matt Garten, Chair, Alleghany County Board of Supervisors, and Mayor Jeff Irvine, Clifton Forge were also present and gave their thanks for this addition to the community.
The Alleghany/Covington DSS is excited to offer another alternative to support food security in the community. They also have long-range plans to start a community garden which will help foster self-sufficiency for clients.
They thanked everyone for coming out and a gave special thank you to Alcova Mortgage, the Clifton Forge Elks Lodge 1065, and everyone else who worked to bring this memorial food pantry to realization. The ceremony closed after a ribbon cutting and refreshments.
The Food Pantry will operate Mondays – Fridays from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. “It’s at a location that’s easily accessible with RADAR,” added Teresa Hammond, Executive Director, Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism.
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